Never, Ever, After
by Prinder
Summary: Relena should be more careful about what she wishes for... Last Chapter up!
1. Never a normal day at the office

Dear readers,

As you can see, this is the new fan fiction that you voted for I have the final standings right here:

The winner is:

In first place: #8 with twelve votes.

Second place: #7 with ten votes.

Third place: #6 with seven votes.

Fourth place: Tie with Five votes for #1, #14, #4, and #11.

Fifth place: Tie with Four votes each for #9 and #10.

Sixth Place: Tie with #13 and #16 with three votes.

Seventh Place: Another tie, this one with two votes for #12 and #2.

Dead list (anything less then two votes): #3, #15.

I will, due to lack of interest, be dropping #3 and #15 from the "Idea list" as few people voted for them (no votes for #3 and only one vote for #15), if you want me to keep these please state so in your reviews. However, I will still be trying to come up with at least one Yoai idea that will make the grade, for those of you who are interested.

Thank you, and now on with "Never, Ever, After"!

~Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing, nothing serious.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system"

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Never, ever, after

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By: Prinder

****

Chapter one: Just a normal day at the office.

As she sat in her brown, high backed, leather office chair she worked on her next speech for a conference in Italy, concerning the Mars Transformation project when her office door was pushed open and an old, plump, woman waltzed in carrying a thick folder in her wrinkly old hands. "Oh god! Not an other one!" Relena whimpered as her secretary, Mrs. Jones, set the file on her boss' desk.

"I'm rightfully s'rry Miss Darlin', but the Prime Min'ster of Russia ins'sted that I have 'u gi'e it a once-o'er." Mrs. Jones replied in her thick, American, southern drawl.

"No, it's okay. Let me know when it's lunch time; I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to check myself!" Relena said laughingly.

"Oh 'u per' dear! Now don't you w'rry, I'll c'me and get you something nice and home-cooked when it's time ta eat, that'll be sure to put some meat on 'ur bones!" The old lady said as she playfully poked the younger woman in the ribs.

"Elena! Stop that! There really is no need to, honestly, I do eat whenever I can, and in fact I could stand to lose some weight!" Relena chided as she batted Elena Jones' hand away.

"Sweetheart, if 'u lose anym're weight, we'll start bein' able tar see right through 'u! Now no com-plants, y'ung lady, you'll eat whate'er I bring ta 'u an' that's that! Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am! You're the boss." Relena said jokingly as she saluted the other woman playfully.

"Good an 'u had bet'er not fer-get that!" Elena laughed as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her on the way out before adding to herself, "…Oh Miss Darlin', 'u really can't see what 'u're doing to 'urself can 'u…?"

If Relena had heard her, she gave no indication of it. While she was reading over the file that Prime Minister Hawking from Russia sent her, the light on her videophone blinked, signaling that someone from Preventer was calling, without stopping to look up at the screen, she reached over and pressed the 'call' button and the face of Preventer Water, also known as Sally Po, appeared on the screen.

__

"A little busy, Vice-Foreign Minister?" Sally asked wryly.

"Never busier, just another day at the office for me. So, what is it? You don't usually call me unless you have a reason to." Relena said as she signed her name at the bottom of the last page, mildly noting the date at on the top of the page was read _august twenty-first, AC one-nine-nine_ before looking up at woman on the screen.

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"You know, you never cease to amaze me. Preventer Five and I have stumbled on evidence to support corruption in some of the upper circles in the universal government." Sally replied, her eyes narrowed and her lips tight, a sign that she was being her most serious.

"What… Who…? Who are they, Sally? I want names!" Relena demanded as she pushed her work aside and gave her undivided attention to the screen.

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"We don't know who they all are, as of yet, but we're working nonstop until we do. Relena, Une is sending some men to act as bodyguards to protect you and some of the other pacifists--" 

"I'm not a total pacifist anymore Sally, you know that--"

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"Yes, but you still symbolize everything that the people associate with the total pacifistic ways." Sally explained.

"I don't believe in bodyguards." Relena said slowly, trying to make every word count.

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"Too bad for you, you're still getting them."

"I don't see how me having half a dozen extra shadows is going to change anything."

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"It can't make things any worse." Sally said optimistically.

'_That's what you think…' _Relena thought sullenly, her lower lip pouting out sourly as she leaned back in her chair, her arms over her chest, making Sally at the other end of the line laugh. "I'm glad that at least one of us is amused." Relena snapped.

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"Forgive me, but Relena, you know that it's what's best for you. At least try not to give them too much of a hard time when they arrive." Sally chuckled.

"Alright, but only if you come and visit me more; I'm getting tired of only hearing from you and Chang when you only have bad news." Relena smiled.

__

"Will do! Tell Noin, the next time that you hear from her, that I said hello, okay?"

"I will. Take care Sally, and Wufei…Yes; I can see you in the background Mister Chang…HEY! No use trying to run off now, at least come and say goodbye first!" Relena said to Sally and the strange fuzzy blob in the background behind her.

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"…You seem to be getting better at your detection skills, I'm impressed." Wufei said when he leaned over Sally's shoulder to speak.

"When I have friends like you around I have to; otherwise I never get a chance to talk to you all." Relena beamed.

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"We really have to get going now Relena, we'll see you around, okay?" Sally said as she waved goodbye.

"I'll hold you to that promise Sally! Goodbye you two take care." Relena replied.

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"Of course. Bye." came Wufei's brisk replied as they disconnected the link.

"Miss Darlin' 'u okay in thar'? I thought I heard 'u talkin' to someone…" Mrs. Jones asked as she knocked on the door.

"Oh, it's nothing, I'm fine; I was just thinking out loud to myself." Relena said, quickly making up the lie, and going back to work. _'Why do these things always happen just when everything starts going right again?' _Relena's mind thought as her hands busied themselves with their work.

*****

"Hey Jessie! I got a call for you on line three!" a short fellow with blonde hair and brown eyes said, yelling across the busy assembly-line floor at the a young man with dyed green hair and matching green eyes who was just getting ready to shut the factory down for the night.

"Thanks." Jessie replied as he walked into his office and turned on the videophone on his desk.

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"Hey, hey! 'Bout time you picked up, what's new?" a man of about the same age as him with a long chestnut braid and cobalt blue eyes said as his face popped onto the screen.

"What do you want, Duo?" Jessie asked as he removed his color-tinted contacts and ran his fingers through his unkempt hair.

__

"Always straight to the point, so like you Heero. Turn on the TV to channel five and find out." Duo replied before hanging up.

"…What have you been up to…?" Jessie, AKA Heero Yuy, wondered aloud as he stood up and did as he was asked.

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"…Today on world news: sixteen top-ranking government officials were arrested by Preventer today--" Heero glanced at the date at the bottom right of the screen _august twenty-fourth, AC one-nine-nine_ (AN: not a typo, really three days after Relena got the call from Sally), _"--when we questioned Preventer Earth, this was only what she had to say:"_ the scene cut to Une dressed in a dusty lavender dress suit, _"We have reason to believe that these individuals were responsible for the attack on the dome three settlement on Mars and we are currently questioning them at this time. Now if you excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."_ The scene cut again, this time to the Vice-foreign Minister, Relena Dorlain, as she walked out of the senate as the reporter said, _"Miss Dorlain, who played a key role in apprehending the suspects, had this to say:"_ Scene cut again, this time to Relena standing in front of a podium saying, _"I know what you must have been told, that I played an influential role in bringing these men and women in for questioning--"_ she paused in her speech and raised her hand to quiet the crowd's questions before continuing, _"--But, let me assure you that, though I did help Preventer make its arrests, I still believe in the term: Innocent until proven guilty. I fully intend to stand by my fellow men in anyway--" _screams were heard as guns started to go off and Relena was tackled to the ground by a man in Preventer uniform before the screen cut back to the face of the reporter as she said, _"Apparently one man that was originally going to be arrested managed to escape Preventer and attempted to end Miss Relena's life, they finally caught the man about two blocks away after he had made his second getaway and he is now being held custody in Preventer head quarters. No injuries were report--"_

Heero turned off the TV and walked back over to the Videophone and was about to call Duo back when the phone rang, Heero quickly replaced his contacts and answered it on the third ring.

__

"Well, did you watch it?" Duo asked his face appeared on the screen.

"Yeah." Was all Heero said as he sat down in the chair behind his desk.

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"…And…? Well, what did you think?" Duo demanded after a moment of silence.

"They aren't finished with her… they'll get her back."

__

"I already got that covered…" Duo replied with a smirk as a Shuttle ticket began printing off of Heero's desktop computer. 

Heero raised an eyebrow at his braided friend before getting up and going over to it, vaguely wondering how Duo managed to hack in. 

Duo, almost as if he read Heero's mind more then his look said, _"I have my ways…later!" _he hung up once again just as Heero picked the ticket up.

Heero snorted softly as he read the destination on it before opening his office door and leaving the building. If one listened closely, one could almost hear the faint echo of his voice saying: "okay."

*****

"I want them gone, Anne, do you hear me, GONE!" Relena said as she stormed into Une's office with both of their secretaries, ten off-duty Preventers, not to mention the twenty Preventer bodyguards that tagged along behind her. 

Absentmindedly, Une smiled at the thought of how much her office was starting to look like a sardine can before she stood up and calmly ordered everyone out of her office except for Relena, who she motioned to sit down in the green leather armchair in front on her carry-wood desk. "Care to tell me what seems to be the matter?" Une asked as she seated herself and looks at the infuriated diplomat.

"You have to ask? You saw what happened when I came in here! When Sally said a few men, I thought two or three obviously a few means half a fleet here! Une, I can't go anywhere without creating a ruckus! I did what I had to do, now call off your blasted dogs!" Relena seethed.

"Relena, by helping us you, unknowingly, made some bitter enemies. I would feel better if they stayed with you--"

"It doesn't matter how you feel! This is my life we're talking about! I would rather have these men focusing their efforts on protecting the Mars colony domes at the moment then wasting their time protecting me!" Relena said before letting out a whoosh of air in an attempt to calm herself before adding, "Une, you try to hide it, but, you and I both know that Preventer is a severely under-manned defiance force, you are already spread too thin! I don't need so many guards, in fact I don't think that I need any; the world doesn't need me to be its idol, its symbol of perfection. Please, tell me that you at least understand what I'm trying to say here!"

Une got a curious twinkle in her eye as she stood up from her seat and began pacing the room, stopping just in front of the younger woman with her hands resting firmly on the desk behind her as she said, in a hushed tone, "I think that you misunderstand me, Vice-foreign Minister; I am only trying to ensure that Relena Dorlain, a close friend of mine, is not harmed in anyway because she chose to assist me in bringing five members of the Universal Government to justice. And, due to the attempt on her life today, I do not think that such protection is what one would deem overkill. I think you for bringing your troubles to my attention but, for now, I will not reassign any of my men. Good day to you Miss Relena!"

"Well, it's nice to know your true reasons why you're doing this to me, though I might not like it, I now know where I stand with you." Relena said with a smile as she stood up to shake Une's hand. "Thank you Anne, for trying to be a friend."

"I will drop your guards to five, that should be enough for now, as there have been no more attempts on your life for a while now." Une said, returning the favor as she caught the subtle blinking of the red light on her videophone out of the corner of her eye.

"I have to get back to the paperwork waiting for me at my desk. Drop by my office sometime, okay Anne? I hardly get to see you or the others outside of an attempt on my life and whatnot." Relena said as she slipped out Une's door as Preventer Earth returned to her seat and nodded as Relena shut the door behind her.

"Preventer Two, report." Une said after she had pressed the 'call' button on the phone.

__

Hey, hey Earth, how're ya doin'? He took it, hook, line, and sinker! If my calculations are right, which I'm sure they are, he should be on space-flight seven-seven-one, destination: Cinq Kingdom, Earth. I've got a picture of his latest disguise, if you're interested in seeing it." Duo replied as he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head in his usual, casual, manner.

"Send it to Preventer Water and Five; they will be in charge of picking him up. The fewer people that know what he looks like now, the better."

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"Roger that and will do! Say… uh… Lady Une, how's she holdin' up?" Duo asked as he sat up straighter and dropped the happy-go-lucky look on his face, switching into a serious frown and grimly set eyes.

"While it has never been any secret that she has always been too willing to lay down her life, she's been getting worse, the news reports never mentioned it, but, when Preventer Stingray knocked her down, she pushed him away and dared the hit-man to, and I quote: 'try not to miss this time' end quote. We're losing her Maxwell, we're losing her."

Duo sighed on the other end of the line as he replied, _"I was afraid you were gonna say something like that. Well, I've got some non-Preventer work to take care of still so I'll check in later, bye." _and with that, he hung up.

"Unfortunately, I fear that we might be too late to help either one of them this time…" Une said as she turned her chair around to take full advantage of the view from the large window that covered the whole wall behind her as she contemplated the situation at hand.

*****

"Yes Josh, I'm sure…"

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"How sure, Relena? You aren't lying to me, are you?" came the voice of a tall, handsome, young man with blue eyes and black hair on the videophone's screen.

" No I'm not!" Came Relena's tart reply as she busied herself with getting ready for a ball that was going to start in two hours and was going to be meeting Joshua Muller there as his three-month-long girlfriend and date.

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"Must you be so headstrong? That is really no way for a lady to act." Joshua said as he tried to watch her run around in her bathroom in her magenta colored robe.

"Now listen here, who are you to--"

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"Calm down! We can't be having you lose your temper before the party, now can we?" He said, cutting her rant short.

"Yes, yes…uh hum…" she said as she rolled her eyes in irritation; he was starting to wear her thin.

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"You seem so stressed out lately, care to tell me about it?"

" It doesn't matter…" 

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"It most certainly does!"

"But--"

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"Don't talk back to me, Relena! …We'll talk about this later, got that?"

"Yes, okay. So, will I see you later tonight?"

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"Yes, but of course, I'll just sneak up the drain pipe to your window and--"

"Oh go pull you mind out of the gutter!" Relena cut in.

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"Well I thought that was what you meant!" Joshua said, playing innocent.

"You know exactly what I meant!" Relena snapped.

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"Darling, are you having your period by chance?"

"I beg your pardon?" Relena gasped as she glared at the man on the screen, "No, I'm not!"

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"Okay, okay, no need to shout. Oh, are you going to wear that piece you wore last week? I really loved how wonderful you looked in that; it's so different to what you normally wear, most of the time you look like you just drove in straight from the office."

"…I'm not going to wear that…" Relena said after a moment; she had to conjure up the image of the outfit that he had spoken of.

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"But you looked simply ravaging in it!"

"The last time you told me to wear that you flaunted me to every-man, every-where, we went!" She yelled as she slammed the walk-in closet door shut so she could change in there.

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"Please, love, would you?" Josh asked loudly enough so that she could hear him.

"NO!" Was her muffled reply.

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"You vain, tight-assed, little bitch…" He said coldly, as he always did when he wasn't getting his way.

"Josh…" Relena cried from the closet; she always hated it when he did this to her, it was a sign that he was losing his temper and when that happened… she shuddered just thinking about it.

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"I think you've just been using me. Yes, that has to be it! You've always been power hungry, just like every other little SLUT in the word! With my father's high ranking and my finances… You were out to rule, weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?" He screamed.

"Joshua please, don't be like that…"

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"Be like what? You little money grubbing whore!"

"Look, I'm sorry! Whatever it is, I didn't mean it!" She sobbed.

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"PROVE IT! Prove that you're loyal to me!"

"…Yes, yes okay…" She mumbled as she got up from the floor, as she had curled up into a ball there when he had started yelling, and reached for the dress.

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"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"I said okay! …I'll wear the gold sequin, off the shoulder, scoop front, dip in the back with slit up the leg--"

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"Don't be cheeky with me!"

"I am not being cheeky!"

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"You're lying! You won't wear it I can see right through your--"

"I said that I'll wear it and I will!" She cut him off before he could insult her pride again.

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"…Do you promise?" He asked, now much more at ease with himself, now that he was sure that he had gotten his way again.

"Yes, I promise…" Relena said as she opened the closet door to show him that she was, indeed, wearing it, though the tearstains on her face had ruined the affect.

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"Oh good. Now get some makeup on, you look a fright right now, and I'll see you at the ball. I love you, darling." He said sweetly, a mere shadow of the monster that he had been a moment before.

"Okay, yeah, uh hum, you too… bye." She said quickly as she disconnected the line before allowing herself to sit on the edge of her bed and begin crying once again while chanting mentally to herself, _'It's okay, it's okay, you can cry, nobody is here to see you fall apart…"_

________________________________________________________________________ This looks like a good place to start, what do you think? I hope I didn't make Joshua too much of an ass… well, actually, yes I do hope that I did but that's besides the point! Tell me what you think in your reviews!


	2. Just proving a point

****

Never, Ever, After

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By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing, nothing serious.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system"

(Denotes my interruptions.)

__

****

Chapter two

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"Attention passengers, we will be entering the Earth's atmosphere in a few moments. Please return your tables and seats to their full upright positions and fasten your seatbelts. We of Comet Shuttle lines thank you." the feminine, computerized, voice said over the communication system as Jessie McCall, Also known as Heero Yuy, shut down his state-of-the-art laptop computer and returned it to it's carrying case and put the slide-out-and-down "Table" back into its original position. After buckling his seatbelt he proceeded to run his fingers through his matted, unruly, dark green hair and bit back a yawn as he stretched himself out in his seat; the three-hour shuttle-trip wasn't what anyone would have called "first class" by any length, apparently, when Duo hacked into the Comet and company, he didn't think that the infamous zero-one Gundam pilot would have cared about being stuck in a slow ship with very uncomfortable seats for three hours non-stop. Heero made a quick mental note to return the favor someday as the shuttle came to a controlled stop and Heero grabbed his things and made way for the exit as quickly as possible; he wanted to put the flying nightmare behind him as soon as possible.

"Fancy meeting you here, how have you been, Heero?" a voice said behind him as he rushed out of the automatic sliding metal door and into the spaceport waiting room.

Heero froze, his back tense at someone calling him by that name, he turned around and came face-to-face with Sally Po and Chang Wufei and mentally sighed in relief; thankful that it wasn't Duo, or worse, Relena, who had recognized him. "Preventer Water, Preventer Five." He said, nodding to each in turn before stating in a the usual gruff manner, "And it's Jessie."

"Duo didn't tell us that you changed your codename, again." Sally said, snickering at the thought of how Heero goes through codenames like most people go through Pez Candies.

"I needed a fresh start." Was all he gave for a reply as they went to collect the rest of his baggage at the drop-off point.

"Who doesn't?" Wufei said, half jokingly.

"So, Jessie," Sally began, needlessly emphasizing the name, "What brings to down to Earth?"

He wouldn't even dignify that with an answer. "Where is the car?" He asked, deciding to dodge the useless small talk as he grabbed his suitcase from the slowly moving rows of others on the conveyor-belt.

"This way." Wufei said, motioning the other two to follow.

"Oh, Jessie… here, you might want to look at this…" Sally said, handing him a lightweight, cream colored, folder.

He merely raised an eyebrow at her before opening it and looking to the pages held within.

"It's all of the information we could find. I know it's not much, but it was the best we could do on such short notice." Sally explained as Heero looked at pictures of faces of the arrested diplomats. 

'Arnold Sullivan, Tracy Tenor, Wilson Price, Madeline Bush…' he read to himself as he looked at the pages each picture was paper clipped to in turn.

"As you can see, with exception of them all being 'Pacifists', they really have nothing in common." Sally said.

"That and the fact and all of them were in on an undercover sting operation with a black-market group known as the Titans." Wufei added as they climbed into the army-green jeep and left the spaceport parking lot.

"And what is it that you need me to do?" Heero asked calmly as he leaned back in the rear passenger seat and shut his eyes, letting the cool night air wash over him, allowing himself to go numb for a moment at he let Wufei's way-over-the-speed-limit driving wipe any thought of the ride in disappear on the empty highways and byways of Cinq.

Sally smiled at the young man in the back seat as she said, "I was wondering when you were going to ask that…"

*****

"Ah, there you are Relena!" Joshua sighed as he saw her come strolling up the red-carpet walkway into the formal dinning hall of the President of the ESUN, Earth-Sphere United Nation.

"Thank you Josh." she said softly, folding her hands in front of herself delicately. The gold-sequin dress that she wore dripped her in all of the right places; every curve beautifully shown-off, her hair worn up in a simple yet exquisite bun on top of her head with a few locks escaping the knot to fame her heart-shaped face.

"Oh, why did you have to put your hair up? You know how much I prefer it down, Relena; it's easier to play with that way." Josh whimpered teasingly.

"I forgot." Relena said absentmindedly, softly batting him away when he started to playfully nuzzle her neck.

"Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we?" Joshua said as he reached up and removed the two gold and diamond studded chopsticks that held the mound in place, letting the silky strands come tumbling down her back, making her gasp in surprise and reach back to grasp light wheat colored tresses.

"Josh!" she cried; she loved wearing her hair that way. "Why did you have to do that? And give me those back!" she said as she snatched the chopsticks out from his grip as he dangled them over her head. "It took me forever to get my hair to stay like that," she grumbled.

"What a waste of time! Now, now, darling, we don't want to cause a scene do we?" He asked coyly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Humph!" she huffed, turning away from him, her arms crossed over her chest saying, "I'm not talking to you right now. I have things to do, unlike somebody, I have work to do!" and with that she marched off, being mindful not to trip over her high heel, toeless, gold shoes.

"Relena! Aw, Relena!" Josh cried as he chased after her, catching her by the wrist and turning her to face him again.

"Let. Me. Go." she commended sternly, her eyes glaring up at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to made you upset… Can you ever forgive me, Sweetheart?" he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her in a protective embrace.

Relena, finding herself cheek-first into his chest, found it hard not to feel sorry for being cross, she did, after all, have quite a nasty temper when she was under a lot of stress and Josh was very good at playing the poor, innocent, victim and knew which buttons to press to get what he wants. _'Well, not this time…'_ she thought. "No." she said as she pushed him away, surprising them both so much so that he tripped over his own two feet and landed on his rear-end right in the middle of the dinning room and she froze out of shock, her eyes wide.

"P- wh- Re-Relena, what on Earth has gotten into you? This isn't like you at all!" He sputtered.

"I-I- I uh… Excuse me for a moment everyone. I'm sorry!" She said as she regained the ability to move and made a mad dash for the woman's restroom where she splashed her face with water from one of the three sinks in the room and stared blankly at her reflection. _'What's going on with me…?'_

Meanwhile, back in the dinning room, Joshua was starting to wish he had thought about running also as people were starting to swarm and were beginning to ask questions that he didn't want to give the truthful answers to. _'Where the hell is she? Why isn't she back yet?'_ he thought as he swore under his breath before saying with a chuckle, "Pardon me, if you please, everyone; I think it's time I check on Relena to see if she's alright, apparently she's not used to pushing people around." and with that he made a beeline for the ladies' bathroom door, "Relena?" He asked, knocking on it loudly, "Are you alright in there?"

"Go away Joshua!" she yelled as she quickly began reapplying her makeup, attempting to hide the telltale signs that she had been crying again and then wrinkling her nose up at her red, puffy, eyes; she couldn't hide those so easily and, besides the fact that she didn't have any on her, sunglasses would have looked stupid in the middle of a formal ball.

"Relena Dorlain, open this door right now!" he yelled back.

"No!"

"Stop being such a three-year-old and grow up for a minute here!"

"Three-year-old? Look who's talking, three-year-old… if anybody is acting childish around here it's you, Josh!"

"Don't get snippy with me--"

"I am NOT getting snippy!"

"Relena, I'm warning you…"

"Warn all you like, I'm not coming out!"  


"Relena. Get. Out. Of. There. Right. This. INSTANT!" he screamed.

"No." came her calm reply as she stood facing the door, waiting for the worst.

"Relena, if you don't come out… so help me, I'm going in!"

"Go right ahead, I dare you." She seethed.

"UGH!" He growled and with that he flung open the door, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out.

"…So, now that you have me out, what are you going to do with me now?" Relena asked coolly glaring at him as she yanked her arm free.

"NOTHING!" He snapped, making her shrink back slightly in fear as he added in a more controlled tone, "Nothing… nothing except ask you to tell me what's been with you lately. Something hasn't been right Relena, and you know it well. Now tell me, what's the matter?" he asked his eyes watered up, a sign that he was worried, as he steered her towards their table to sit down.

"I- I don't know Joshua, I just don't know; everything has been so crazy lately at the office, I haven't been sleeping well, the dome Milliardo and Noin are stationed at was attacked, then there was the diplomats that were arrested and the bodyguards thing and I don't know what's going on anymore!" she sighed as she dropped her head on the white-cloth-covered table.

"Hush, it's alright Darling, it's alright… Look at you! You're an absolute wreck!" Joshua exclaimed.

"Gee, thanks…" Relena muttered tonelessly.

"No, I mean it! You're hair is a rat's nest, your eyes are puffy, your nose is red, I think I bruised your arm when I pulled you out of there so roughly, the heel to one of your shoes snapped off during the struggle, your beautiful dress it all askew… face it, Sweetheart, this isn't your day it seems." He said sadly as he gently stroked her matted hair.

"You're right," she said, laughing as she lifted her head up, "It isn't, is it?"

"No, not at all! Tell you what; how about I drive you home so you can hit the sack early. I think that you've had enough for one day," he said soothingly.

"Thank you." she said as she slipped off her high heels, reached into her purse, and pulled out a simple pair of black flats and said, when Josh eyed them curiously, "I keep them with me incase something happens and I need to be able to run."

"Ah, I see… it make sense, in an odd way. Well, come now dear, let's get you back home!" he said as he stood up and fished his car keys out of his suit jacket.

"Yes, oh, and Josh?"

"Hum? Yes, Relena?"

"I'm sorry."

*****

__

"…Last night, in President Nicholas Powel's dinning room, Miss Relena Dorlain and her long-time boyfriend, Joshua Muller, had a fight, but no worries! The couple made up not long after and Joshua, after insisting that Relena go home and get some long over-due sleep, drove her back to the Peacecraft estate and left her in the good care of Pagan Fuller, the family butler for over twenty-five years, Mr. Pagan ensures us that Miss Relena was just overstressed because of the extra workload she has had to face as of late, due to the arrested and charged diplomats just a day ago… Now on with the weather--" Heero shut off the TV and turned to Duo, who was standing behind the couch that he was currently sitting on.

"Ya know I've met that Joshua guy before. Real nice fellow… yeah, real nice and sneaky is more like it! I didn't trust him very much, but Relena assured me that he was on the up-and-up." Duo commented as he took a swig of the Mountain Dew in his hand before taking a seat next to his wartime buddy and adding with a sigh, "Too bad that Une thinks that Relena's losing it. Totally crackers, that's what she said, though, not in in that exact wording."

"You think he has something to do with it." Heero more stated then asked.

"No… I didn't say that, but I don't think he's helping very much either…" Duo replied before eyeing the greenish-brown mop on the top of his friend's head. "Say, uh, Heero… How long did you say that takes for it to wash out? 'Cause I gotta tell, man, it doesn't look all that great on you."

"It's already almost gone."

"You don't say? Jeez, to heck if I can tell!" Duo laughed as he drained the last of his drink and stood back up. "Well, come on man, we gotta get you down to the Preventer base here, and soon, otherwise Une will have my head!"

"Why the rush?" Heero asked as he stood up and followed Duo out of the hotel room door.

"You'd be in a rush too if you had kept within the loop instead of just up and going poof on us two months back!" Duo snapped and then adding with another sigh, "I'll fill you in on the car ride there…"

"What all has happened with the others while I was gone?" Heero questioned as they entered the elevator and took it to the ground floor.

"Who, the guys? Oh their doing great, Trowa's still on the move; he's in the Circus with his 'sister' ya know! Quatre's always busy, but he, at least, still finds time to give all of us a ring every month or so. You know all about what Wufei has been up to, though, I don't think he's told ya yet but, he's gonna be the best man in Sally's wedding in a few months, she met this guy, Luke, I think his name was, a week or so back when he joined Preventer, love at first sight! I'll telling you, I thought that Wufei was gonna bite that guy's head off; he's always been protective of Sally, kind of like a brother is to a sister, but, back then, it almost looked like something more… heck, there actually still might be more to it then that but, you know, it's kind of hard to explain. Hilde sold-out her scrap-shop; it just wasn't making as much money as it used to, and so she's now working part-time at IBM and part-time at Preventer… undercover work, you have to understand; she's just keeping an eye out for dirty dealings within the company but so far it seems to be pretty clean. And that's about it." Duo said, pausing every now and then to take a breath as they arrived at his black Sports Utility Vehicle and climbed inside to start the engine.

"What can to tell me about the Titans?" Heero asked.

"That they're mythological beings that were believed to be more powerful then the god--"

"No. I mean the black-market group." Heero interrupted.

"I know I was just playing you!" Duo laughed before getting serious and saying, "They're like the Sweepers, only these guys deal with goods so hot that you could fry an egg on them. They used to be just your average back-ally gang but with money there comes power and with power comes control. My guess is that they were planning a slow takeover, you know? Get their men into the political ring and then slowly take command of it all. Funny thing is, they didn't use to care so much about that, up until just a few years ago, they were more interested in just getting parts from A to B so, what I'm wondering is, why the sudden change? It just doesn't make much sense, you see what I mean?"

"How did they get so far without being caught onto for so long?"

"Information is a fickle thing, Heero; some people have it, some people don't and some people, just a few really, want it. The thing is, what with the wars and all that, everybody was too busy looking behind their own backs, covering their own trails, to even notice them moving in. It's purely an act of good, or poor, all depends on who you're cheering for in this case, timing. Just count yourself lucky that we caught it when we did; otherwise the preverbal shit would be hitting the fan." Duo explained.

"I'm supposed to act as a bodyguard to Relena, any suggestions on how to do it without her knowing? I hear she's getting better at detecting our movements."

"I'll say! Just a few days ago she busted Wufei in the background behind Sally during a call, from what Sally told me later, turns out that Relena really blew Wufei outta the water on that one; he was literally in the way back corner of their office, you know, where that one light never works? Anyway, he was all in the shadows and everything, Sally herself didn't even realize he was there until Relena pointed him out, though; Wufei said that Sally hid that little fact well. As for how to avoid her… truth be told, I just don't know! I never had to try to sneak around her before so I just can't say what'll work, though… I would suggest using the air vents as much as possible if you really want to avoid her that much, though I can't understand why, she doesn't bite Heero!" He laughed, "Air vents work well for getting from one place to another without being seen and, usually, it's the one opening that people forget to make secure; I mean, no way in genially also means no air in either!"

"Thanks for the tip; that's the first place that I'm going to be putting laser-detection grids in." Heero said with a smirk.

"HEY! You tricked me!" Duo exclaimed as he pulled into the Preventer parking lot.

"Yeah." Heero said in reply as he got out of Duo's S.U.V. and walked up the large front steps and over to the bulletproof glass doors of the building, mildly noting on how ridiculous it looked compared to the solid steel of the rest of the base as he opened one of the doors and walked inside with Duo right behind him.

"This, my friend, is the most advanced Preventer facility to date! It has the best, top of the line, computer and tracking systems around. If you can't find it, and you need to find it within twenty-four hours, this place here can do it." Duo said as he patted his comrade's shoulder proudly.

"You sound like a Preventer Ad…" Heero said in monotone, smirking when he saw Duo's smug face drop and his puffed up chest deflate.

"Har-de-har-har, you've changed Heero, you actually got a sense of humor now!" Duo said sarcastically as they walked up the receptionist's desk.

"May I help you?" the blonde receptionist asked as she played with the wad of gum in her mouth, looking extremely bored.

"Yeah, we're here to see Preventer Earth." Duo replied.

"Names?" she asked.

"Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy."

The Blonde rolled her eyes with annoyance as she said, "Codenames?"  


"Preventer One and Two." Heero replied, sending a glare at her, a silent message telling her to hurry up and let them through.

"Go down the hall, it's the third office on the left." She said after pausing to check for their appointment in the computer.

"Thanks Babe!" Duo said as waved his hand over his shoulder and he and Heero walked on. "You know, you could smile a bit; you're gonna be a soldier again!" Duo commented, mentally counting doors as they went.

"I didn't want to be a soldier again, Duo, I just wanted to forget all of this and move on with the life that, for a long time, I was sure that any of us would not have." Heero replied as he opened the door and walked inside, Duo right at his heels.

"What in the hell did you do to your hair?" Une asked in mild shock when she saw the brown-green tresses on top of Heero's head.

"Preventer Earth, may I present, Jessie McCall." Duo said with a laugh; that wasn't the kind of reaction that he was expecting from the lady and it caught all of them off guard.

"Jessie McCall why that name?" Une asked as she relaxed back into her seat.

Heero just shrugged for reply.

"Well," Duo began, "It doesn't matter why, what matters is what we're going to do about the situation at hand."

"Right, as you both know, we made several arrests yesterday, all of which were people posing as pacifistic diplomats. After speaking with Relena Dorlain for a few moments, she demanded to know their names and to assist us in anyway, the repercussions of this action has put her into jeopardy and, with her insistent refusal for more armed protection, we have come to you, Heero. Your job, though not requiring your presence to be unknown to the Vice-foreign Minister, is to be executed however you see fit, be it in the shadows or out in the open, I don't care which you chose, just as long as she survives long enough to see her next birthday, if you understand what I mean. You will not be working alone, the other members of your team will be assisting you wherever they can, I trust that Sally filled you in on the essentials?" Une asked, pausing for Heero to nod in reply before continuing with, "Good, you will stay here in one of the cadet sleeping quarters when not on duty and Preventer Two will be staying with you until the end of the week when he must go back to his colony, Preventer Three will then take his place and, after him, Preventer Four and Five. Do you have any questions?"

"No ma'am."

"Very well, you are dismissed." she said as they both saluted and turned to leave the office. "Oh and Heero… May I call you Heero?" After receiving a nod she continued with, "I would just like to say, on a more personal level, that it's good to have to back.

"Thanks." and with that, he closed the door and left.

__

'This had better work, or I'll strangle Quatre for putting me up to this…' Une thought as she glared into nothingness for a moment before returning to the paperwork on her desk.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Heero and Duo were talking about their assignment as Duo lead Heero to the Cadets' sleeping dormitory within the base.

"So, you planning on paying her a visit tonight?" Duo asked as he looked through his key chain for the key to the lock to the room that they were going to be staying in.

"As soon as the guards switch shifts. Is this it?" Heero questioned as Duo opened the door and walked into the cramped dorm-room.

"Yeah, it's not much, but, in a pinch, it works. Which bunk do you want?" Duo asking, jutting his thumb out that the bunk-bed that took up the whole left wall of the room with exception of the door that was that the foot of it that led into what Duo not-so-fondly dubbed: "the postage stamp".

Heero, having decided on the bottom bunk, as he figured that he would be too tired after the long days and nights of work to have the willpower nor the strength left in him to vault himself up onto the top one, he set himself to work with unpacking his things which, apparently, someone had picked up from the hotel and dropped off here for him.

"I asked Sally if she could run them over for ya while you were watching TV. I don't know about you pal, I think you're starting to slip." Duo said as he eyed his friend carefully.

"I wasn't working then, I didn't need to pay attention to everything." Heero replied as he tucked the last of his things into one of the two dressers on the right hand side of the room while Duo grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-refrigerator that sat on the floor, next to a desk, and the only window, on the far side of the room.

"Yeah sure, excuses, excuses!" Duo remarked as he tilted his head back to take a sip and nearly gagged on it when Heero reached out and squeezed the bottle, making the water come shooting out faster then Duo could drink. "Hey! What are ya doin'? Are you trying to kill me or something?" Duo sputtered as water sprayed all over the room.

Heero could only smirk as he said, snickering, "Just proving a point."

________________________________________________________________________ Uh, wow, finished that it what, two days? Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? I can't really tell! Thank you everyone for all EIGHT reviews that you gave me for the first chapter! Oh, and, for those of you who have no idea what Heero means by that last line there, he means that Duo can't always know everything that goes on either… does that make sense? Oh well… for those of you who can't remember what other Fanfic idea's I have, I have them all now listed in my Profile on FF.net and in, I believe, chapter 19 of "What if:Myth" Anyways, later!


	3. The vanity

Dear Readers,

Thank you for all of the reviews so far; you've been a great help to me, especially Silence! I personally want to thank you for being so upfront and honest with what you think of my work, it really means a lot to me, I didn't even realize that I had that one typo in there! Ravaging, ravishing… the spelling was so close I didn't even notice it when I read through it! Also, I promise that I won't butcher the spellings of words when Mrs. Jones is talking anymore. The only reason I did it to begin with was to poke fun that the people who do shorthand writing with their fics all of the time. Basically, I was just adding fuel to the Pet-peeve fire. I would also like to thank Chelsea (forgive me if I got your name spelled wrong!) for aiding me in the more technical terming of the NON-EXISTENT (as of yet, GW is, after all, set over 400 years in the future so it could possibly still be created) drug in this chapter.

Anyway, without further ado! The next chapter of "Never, Ever, After."

~Prinder

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing and **_the not-yet-invented-drug usage_**.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system"

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Chapter Three

While Heero and Duo were spending the rest of their day at the Cinq Preventer base, Relena was spending hers in her room, in bed, or, at lest she was trying to.

"Elena, please, I'm tired, I'm moody, and I have a headache like you wouldn't believe, I just can't do it today…" Relena whimpered as her secretary peeled the soft, comforting, down blankets off of her sleep-deprived body and hauled her out of the bed and into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Come on now Miss Relena, you don't really expect me to fall for that one, do you? My little Leroy, whose only six years old mind you, could come up with a better lie then that!" Came Mrs. Jones drawled reply from the other side of the door.

"That's not surprising, seeing as I'm not lying!" Relena grumbled as she stripped out of her sleep-shirt and shorts before turning on the hot water.

"Don't think that I didn't hear that young lady! You've got ten minutes and then you have to be downstairs for breakfast or I'll be coming back up here to get you!" Mrs. Jones shouted before closing Relena's bedroom door and going to help Pagan set the table.

Relena let out a sigh of pure bliss as the steaming hot jets of water from the showerhead attacked her tired and sore muscles for a moment before she reached for the liquid soap and sponge and began to lather up when her videophone rang, making her drop the two objects, jump out of the shower, grab her magenta colored bathrobe and make it over to the ringing annoyance by the time the answering machine picked up, saying: _"Hello, this is Relena's fridge, her answering machine is broken and so I'm standing in for it until she gets it fixed so, if you please say your name and number really slowly, I'll write it on this paper and leave it under one of my magnets, thank you."_ Relena rolled her eyes and made a silent mental note to change that before the end of the week as she pressed the 'Call' button. "Hello?"

__

"Relena, Darling, there you are! I was starting to get worried about you! How are you feeling today?" Joshua asked as his face appeared on the screen.

"Like hell." Came her reply as she turned and went back to the bathroom to finish her shower.

__

"Well, yes, I would say so, what with the attitude that you just gave me! Care to define just how you feel like hell?" he asked as he watched her go, somewhat grateful that the volume control on her end was still set at its highest from last night.

"I'm tired, moody, cranky, and have a migraine the size of L4," she shouted back.

__

"Haven't you been taking the painkillers that my doctor proscribed for you?" Joshua asked.

"I ran out." She replied as she shut off the water, remembering when the migraines first started; her doctor, Kayla Conner, was on vacation and Relena had no desire to visit some unknown doctor that could quite possibly poison her with god-knows-what, all without her realizing it and Joshua had offered to take her down to his doctor, whom, he assured her, was as safe as mother hen is to her egg, prescribed the medication to her and she had been taking it ever since.

__

"Why didn't you tell me before? I could have easily gotten more for you! I'll be right over later today with a refill, got it?"

"Yes, thank you Josh, you're being very sweet." she said softly as she walked out of the bathroom, her bathrobe tied securely around her waist and a towel wrapped around the top of her head.

__

"Now don't you worry about a thing, Relena, I'll take good care of you. I have to leave now for work and whatnot, I'll stop by your office later, alright?" he asked as he stood up and began to put various different kinds of papers into what looked to be his briefcase.

"Okay, I'll see you then Joshua."

__

"Okay dearest, I love you, bye."

"Bye." she replied before disconnecting the line just as Mrs. Jones opened her bedroom door and walked in without knocking.

"ELENA! Don't you knock? What if I was getting--"

"What are you doing, Miss Relena? You're going to be late, you aren't even dressed yet!" Mrs. Jones scolded, effectively cutting the youth off, as she stalked over to Relena's closet and pulled out the first suit she saw, a peach colored dress suit with matching high heels, and shoved it into the younger woman's hands and pushed her into the bathroom, again, along with pantyhose, white blouse, underclothes and her makeup bag. "You have exactly five minutes before you have to be at the front door to your office, I suggest that you hurry up and get ready!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" Relena replied as she fumbled with the fine, silk covered, buttons on the blouse while and groaned aloud, thinking, _'It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?'_

Three minutes later, Relena and Elena rushed out to the waiting pink limo and finished the last minute makeup job in the ride over to the office and got into the Vice-foreign Minister's waiting room at exactly Five-fifty-nine AM, one minute early.

"Elena," Relena began, after catching her breath, "Remind me shoot the person that invented Mondays the next time I see him?"

"Not," Elena gasped, "Not, if, I, don't, get him first."

That evening, after three hours of paperwork, at least eight hours of meetings, lunch, and the usual dose of morons and stupid questions later, Joshua stopped in at close to nine-thirty to drop off Relena's medication and to give Mrs. Jones a migraine of her own; the poor old woman was never fond of her employer's boyfriend, in fact, every few of the Vice-foreign Minister's loyal employees were fond of Mr. Joshua Muller, it wasn't that he ever did anything wrong, that they knew about, or that his personality grated on their nerves, he was actually quite pleasant to be around, it was more like they felt as if something just was not right about the young man that demanded so much of Miss Relena's time and attentions.

"Now, Sweetheart, I have to get home and get some sleep; I have a busy day tomorrow! Goodbye!" Joshua said as he skipped his way merrily out of the office and closing the door behind him.

"Goodbye Josh!" Relena called out just before his silhouette disappeared from the textured, smoky, glass window that was set within the solid maple door that led back out into the hall.

"Miss, we should be leaving soon ourselves; it's already after hours." Mrs. Jones said as she reached under her desk and pulled out her umbrella; it was starting to rain outside and she didn't want either of them to get wet.

"Yes, yes of course, let's go right away." Relena said as she tucked her prescription into her briefcase and helping her secretary carry some of her things, mainly her purse, coat, and notebook, out to the limo where Pagan was waiting.

"Did you have a good day today ladies?" He asked kindly.

"Sure did, but, right now, nothing would be better in the world then to be back home with some of your famous beef and vegetable soup." Relena replied in a whisper as she climbed into the back seat of the limo behind Mrs. Jones and shut the door behind them.

"Right away, Miss Relena." he replied with a smile, wondering how she knew what was what he was making that night, and sped off to the Peacecraft mansion where dinner awaited.

*****

"So, how do you plan on pulling it off?" Duo asked as he munched loudly on some sour cream and onion favored potato chips as he sat on the top bunk, looking down at the young man with greenish-moss brown hair as he typed away at the laptop in front of him that he had set up on the desk. Duo got no response.

Heero looked up and behind him at the digital clock above the dorm-room's front door, it read: _Ten-twenty-one_. Heero stood up, shut off his computer, grabbed his blue denim jacket and made his way to the door.

"You're going already? Don't you think it's kinda risky?" Duo questioned as he jumped down from his bunk to join his friend.

"I can handle it."

"I sure hope so man, 'cause, let me tell you, getting yourself captured by Preventer Guards isn't exactly a great way to impress a lady, ya know?" Duo said jokingly as Heero left the Preventer dormitories in a slow jog, leaving Duo behind to have some quality time with his subconscious.

While Duo was busy thinking, Heero had made it out into the parking lot and used the keys that he had skillfully smuggled out of the dormitory, without Duo noticing, to start Preventer Two's car and speed off to "Valley road" where the estate in question was located. 

After having parked two blocks away from the target, Heero shut off the engine and locked the SUV up before pocketing the keys and sprinting over to the twelve-foot-high brick wall that lead into the Peacecraft estate and, after checking to be sure he wouldn't land right in the middle of a dozen well-armed soldiers on the other side, he scaled the stone structure and grabbed for an ironically well-placed tree branch that just so happened to have been within jumping distance. Heero made a note to have the tree cut down later; it made things way to easy for someone to get past the two, sleeping, guards at the bottom of the wall. 

Upon ensuring that the two men wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, Heero quickly bypassed the mansion's gardens and had soon made it to, what Preventer Intelligence reports had said was at least, Relena's southern bedroom window. _'Stage one complete.'_ Heero thought with a smirk when he had confirmed that Relena was in the downstairs dinning room, eating with her secretary, Mrs. Elena Jones, and her butler, Pagan Fuller before silently making his way up the rose-and-thorn-covered trellis and into her bedroom where he would wait.

He wouldn't have to wait long because, not much more then an hour later, Relena opened her bedroom door and, after telling Pagan how much she enjoyed the meal, she walked into her room and reached for the small lamp that was on her writing desk, which stood nearby the door, and turned it on, sending forth a low, faded, yellow glow. Fortunately for Heero, he had chosen one of the few places in the Relena's sanctuary that the light didn't penetrate, the bathroom, right behind linen "closet" which was really not much more then a large, cream colored, dresser.

"Well, what's taking you? I'm sure that if you managed to get this far, my guards wouldn't be able to stop you. So, why haven't you pulled the trigger yet?" Relena said as she sat down in front of her vanity and began to calmly run a soft bristle brush through her hair. 

Apparently, it didn't matter how well he was hidden, she could still tell when someone else was in here. Heero stepped from out of the alcove and into the light of the room, the bright green of his colored contracts looking strangely off to him somehow in the reflection of Relena's vanity mirror.

"At least you aren't afraid to show your face, some are just to cowardly to at least let me know who my would-be killers are." She said, as she turned to face him before standing up and walking closer. 

He had nothing to say in reply.

"So, who are you? No, wait! Let me guess…" she said, raising her hand to silence him when he opened him mouth in an attempt to reply. "Let me see here… tall, muscular but still lean, straight back, perfect posture, calloused hands… you used to be a soldier." she said as she walked around him, inspecting every inch of his body with her eyes as she continued with, "You weren't from Oz or the Alliance; you look too young, and you couldn't have been training because then you wouldn't have as many scars… so that means that you must have been one of the rebels, it's either that or there was another Gundam Pilot that I wasn't aware of," she paused to laugh at her small joke, "You dye your hair so that means you either like to, or, you have something to hide and, if that is the case, it makes me wonder if that is even your real eye color… I think I know who you are, Heero Yuy."

Her answer was only met with an intensely nerve-wrecking silence.

"Hum… I must have guessed wrong, very well, who are--"

"How did you know?" He said, cutting her off.

"…What? How did I know? You mean I was right? Oh I already knew that it was you; you're the only person in the universe that can make the hairs on my head stand on end." She joked before turning serious and adding, "So, what do you want?"

"Nothing."

"Come now, you don't really expect me to believe that, do you? Out with it, I know better then anyone that you and the others only come out to see me in person when one of you wants me to do, see, or hear, something, so what is it?" she demanded.

"I don't want anything."

"So why are you hear? Oh, wait, never mind, I already know…" she glared before turning around and going back to her vanity and returning to her seat in front of it, saying, "Don't waste your time; it really doesn't matter if I live or not, in fact, I almost wished you came here to finish me off, it would be just about par."

"What?" He said, his eyes narrowed as his eyebrows went up, a sign that he confused.

"Don't you get it? If you aren't here to kill me yourself, then just do me a favor, go. Home. Heero. I don't where your home is, and frankly, I just don't care anymore. You have your life, I have mine, and I'm getting very sick and tired of them crossing." she said as she reached into her briefcase and pulled out the bottle of pills; her headache was starting to come back, and in full force.

Heero managed to catch a glimpse of the label and had the bottle snatched out of her hand before she could even get the lid off. "What's this?" He demanded.

"Gee, Heero, it looks like medicine to me!" Relena replied in a sarcastic tone.

"A narcotic?"

"What?" she gasped as she grabbed Heero's hand that held the drug in question and read the label: _Serin. _In the year Doctor Phillip Crofter, a resident scientist at D.M.F Technology, stationed on L4, created AC One-twenty-seven a drug. Serin, also known as the "Haber Drug", named after Fritz Haber, the creator of Hitler's Mustered Gas that would have won the war of the Pre-colony Nineteen-thirties. Was originally used to calm out-of-control patents that, after being taken off of the drug, became "moody" and "uneasy". Most subjects killed themselves after being under the influence of it for too long. It was banned from usage in the year AC One-thirty-six.

"Who gave you these?" Heero questioned, snapping Relena out of her, shock induced, daze.

"What…? Oh… Joshua's Doctor proscribed them to me for my Migraines…" she said as she slowly dropped back down into her the backless, cushioned, chair in front of the vanity.

"How long have you been taking them?"

"I started taking them a month ago but I've been out of them for a week now; the only reason I have them now is because Joshua had just given me the refill today... Oh god! I can't believe I didn't realize it before hand, I have to tell Joshua, he doesn't know what happened!" she cried as she jumped up and ran for her videophone on her nightstand to call the man in question but was stopped when Heero grabbed her wrist just as she hand was about to press the "speed dial". "Heero! Let go!" she said as she attempted to yank her arm free, "Joshua might be in grave danger, you have to let me tell him!" she cried.

"Relena stop it! Think for a moment; he was the one who sent you to this person to begin with. For all we know he could have been in league with the 'doctor' all along!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! Joshua might not be perfect but he would never try to poison me!"

"How can you be so sure, Relena, how? Tell me, how do you know for sure that he didn't just drug you so that you would fall into some scheme of his? One of Haber's side affects is the inability to think clearly. How can you be sure that he hasn't brainwashed you into believing him to be everything that you've said?" He demanded only to receive a slap to the side of his face, courtesy of Relena's hand.

"How dare you accuse him of anything? You don't have any proof! He could merely be an innocent pawn in all of this and you're already condemning him for something that he may not have known about!" Relena seethed as she rubbed the slightly tingling flesh on the palm of her hand, glaring up at him angrily.

"Why aren't you listening?" Heero asked in a deathly quiet tone as he turned his head to slowly face her again, his cheek held a red palm print where she had struck him. "Can't you see that I'm trying you get you to at least think about your actions before you do something stupid?"

"Like what? Trust someone that I don't know? I think I already learned that with the drugging episode! Why don't you just go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of and stay there this time? I'm finally starting to get my life in order, I have a steady boyfriend, work is running smoothly, my brother and his wife are doing well in dome three… and, until five days ago, right when I start thinking that everything is going right in the world, the dome gets attacked, five of my coworkers, all of which I thought I knew well, are arrested and charged with being with the Titans, the ones responsible for the attack, and I end up not only assisting in their capture, I end up picking up their paperwork and find out that they had been at it for years! Years of dirty dealings and god-knows what else! Then you show up, after almost three years of having no contact with you, you appear in my bedroom and tell me that the man, that tells me that he loves me every day, is out to control and KILL ME! If you think that I haven't learned anything from this then you are sorely mistaken! I've learned that whenever things seem to be at their worst, you always show up to rub salt into the wound even more then it already has!"

"Relena, I'm not--"

"Oh stuff it Heero!" she said as she pushed him away roughly and managing to make it into her closet and slam the door shut behind her in an effort to keep herself from crying in front of him.

"Relena? Relena! Open the door!" Heero said as he tried to turn the knob, only to find it locked from the inside. To say that he wasn't curious as to why she had a lock on the inside of the door was an understatement.

"Just leave, Heero, leave and never come back!" she said, sounding surprisingly calm, considering that she was ruining her makeup, again.

"No. You can't stay in there forever Relena." came Heero's muffled, but still very clear, reply from the other side of the door.

"Do you want to bet on that?" Relena challenged.

Heero blinked in mild surprise at that statement, not because it was unusual for her, but more because of the fact she had locked herself in a room where there was no water or food and she sounded as though she could survive in there. With a sigh that signaled that he was more then just a little bit annoyed, though, he had to admit, he did find it rather amusing on some level, he said, "Seeing as you are in a closet, yes, I would bet on it."

"I don't care! I don't want to see ever again!"

"Relena you aren't making things easy for me!"

"TOUGH!"

"Relena, fine, if this is what you want then fine, you can stay in there all you want; I'm not leaving until we talk." he said as he walked away from the door and found a comfortable place to sit on Relena's bed to wait her out. _'All she need is some time to get her frustrations and what is left of the drugs out of her system and then she'll be back to normal.'_ he convinced himself when he heard her start screaming and what sounded like ripping her wardrobe into shreds. 

After two hours of hearing nothing but the sounds of her having one of the worst tamper tantrums he had ever known, which wasn't really that many when he thought about it, the closet suddenly went quiet after the sound of something going "thump" onto the carpeted floor. Slowly, Heero got up from his place in the center of her bed and, after crawling over to the edge of it and getting off, walked over to the closet door and began to pick the lock, silently thanking Duo for showing him how to do it without the use of dynamite.

Upon opening the door he felt his ribs tighten painfully at the sight; Relena was curled up into the fetal position on the floor, fast asleep, with practically every outfit torn and ripped up beyond recognition, most of them he vaguely recalled seeing her wearing in TV while others he had never thought he would have expected her to wear, such as a pair of faded blue jeans and lose fitting lama-wool sweater. 

Looking more closely at the exhausted girl, he discovered that she must have been crying the whole time she was in there as her whole face was a puffy tearstained red, even in her sleep she looked upset; as her lower lip was jutted out in a sorrowful pout, in one of her hands she held what looked to be a piece of glittery-gold cloth, also marred beyond any form of identification. 

Carefully, after assuring himself that she wouldn't wake up on him, he tucked one of his arms under her upper back and the other under her legs and slowly maneuvered her out of the walk-in closet and into her bed where she was sure to sleep more comfortably and then set himself to work with cleaning up the mess.

"But, but why?" was a question that was heard an hour or so later as Heero was silently tying up the last trash bag.

"You didn't mean it." Came his reply once he had finished his task and walked over to the right hand side of the bed.

"You don't know that… for all you know I could have meant every word of what I said…" she murmured, turning her face so as to hide it in her pillow.

"You're right." He replied, making her gasp and look up at him with watery eyes, "But I think you know differently." he added.

"I don't know what to think anymore, I honestly don't, I don't even know what got into me… well, actually I do know what got into me, but that's not what I mean what I mean… what I mean to say is, I didn't know what was going on with me until was too late… I can't do this alone anymore, truth be told, I never could to begin with; that's why I started seeing Joshua to begin with. That was always what it was about in a way, I needed someone to be there, someone who would help me… just goes to show how poor a judge of character I am!" She explained, "He has a violent temper you know, when he doesn't like what he hears, I thought that all he needed was someone to care, someone to love him unconditionally, like the way that I am with--" she cut herself off and shook her head, "it's nothing… forget it… He never hit me, no, he never did that, if he had I'm sure that I would have left long ago; he would hurt you with his words, beat you down with them, try to dominate… unfortunately I think that's the only thing that hurts me anymore; I don't like to belittled, I can't stand it when people assume that just because I'm blonde it means that I'm stupid, or that because I was born rich I'm spoiled." She let out a bitter laugh, "Would you believe that there are people that hate me? That hate me so much just because they can? What they don't understand is that they don't know me, nobody really knows me, know just Relena, not Dorlain, not Peacecraft, not the Queen. Just, plain, simple, average-everything, Relena."

"That's not true." Heero said after a moment of silence.  


"What?" she asked, snapping her head up to look at him in the eyes.

"I know who you are."

"Oh really?" Relena laughed, "What makes you say that? What's my favorite color? Who was my best friend in school? What was my birthday wish this year? How fast can I read? What's my stuffed teddy bear's name?" she questioned.

"Because I do, you like Aqua-blue, you only had groupies and none of them were your friends, you didn't make one, not fast enough to keep up with all of the paperwork that you have to do, and you call him 'fluffy'."

Relena began to laugh as she looked up at him, her eyes shining with mirth, "You know, you look really strange with green hair!"

________________________________________________________________________ Hum… Should I be worried that this is going so fast? Let me know if I need to take more time on these chapters okay? Well, today I'm going to be off babysitting, for those of you who care to know, and so, hopefully, I'll have some more cash on me to buy the next DVD that for Gundam Wing, well, here's hoping! *crosses fingers* I want to thank everyone again who all reviewed for me! It really means a lot to have people tell me EXACTLY what they think about my fics, for better or for worse, even if it can be a bitter pill to swallow! Byes!


	4. Why you should always wear your seatbelt

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system"

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Chapter 4

When her eyes snapped open at the sound of the alarm clock going off, she wondered when she had fallen back asleep, but, as she glanced around her sparsely furnished bedroom, she felt a dreaded, sinking, feeling within her stomach; Heero wasn't there. _'Was it all just a dream…?'_ her subconscious asked as she sat up and flipped the covers off of herself and read the blinking numbers on the digital clock: _Five-fifteen am_. "Why was it set for so early? I don't need to be at work until six…" she pondered aloud.

"Oh good you're up! I thought that I was going to have to force you out of bed again this morning. My, my, you certainly look well rested!" Mrs. Jones said as she opened Relena's bedroom door, a cheery smile spread lightly across the old woman's lips as she handed the youth a, neatly pressed, cream colored pant suit, and a pair of low heeled shoes. 

Relena found herself silently thanking the blessed woman for bringing shoes that wouldn't 'kill' her when she tried to walk and headed for the bathroom to change saying, as she went, "Elena, you're right; I am well rested, though, I can't understand why, I can't remember exactly when I went to bed, but, I know it was really late when I finally turned in. By the way, Elena, why the early wakeup call? I don't have to be at work until six."

"Miss Anne Une wanted to see you in her office this morning; she called last night but I didn't have the heart to tell you until now, you were so tired when you went to bed… anyway, she mentioned something about taking you up on your offer a few days ago, whatever that means; she said that you would know what she meant." Mrs. Jones replied.

"She must have been talking about the guard detail; I asked her… actually I must have yelled at her, I was very stressed out that day and when that happens I tend to snap, a lot… I asked her to reassign a bunch of the Preventers that she had sent to protect me." Relena replied as she hopped into her shower to get ready for the day and, as if on cue, the videophone rang. "Elena, can you get that for me? It's probably Josh." Relena asked, pushing the strange nagging feeling in the back of her mind aside, thinking that it was just jitters from the memories from the vivid dream that she had had.

"Alright, hang on, I'm old I can't move vary fast…" Elena told the still ringing phone as she made her way over to it and took a set on the bed, "There… Hello, Peacecraft residence, Elena Jones speaking, may I ask who this is?" Mrs. Jones said as she pressed the 'call' button.

__

"Mrs. Jones? What are you doing in Relena's room at this hour?" Joshua questioned as his face came on the screen.

"That's really none of your business, Mr. Muller; the more pressing question is what are you doing calling Miss Relena at this hour of the morning?"

__

"I was only calling to ask if she was feeling better, that's all, and this is the only time that I can talk to her before I have to go to work." Joshua replied, taken slightly aback by the older woman's demeanor towards him; she was usually much more gentle spoken with him then this.

"Rubbish! Your father works in the same building as she does, if you really wanted to talk to her you could easily make an appointment like everyone else." Elena stated, seeing right through his charm.

Joshua sighed on the other end of the line, _"Where is Relena?"_ he asked.

"Getting ready for a meeting." Came Mrs. Jones tart reply.

__

"Really…I thought that she didn't have to be at work until six…Well, no matter, most likely something important if she's getting ready this early. How is she feeling this morning? Or have you even asked her yet?" Joshua questioned, not fully realizing the slight venomous sound in his words.

"I have asked, she's feeling better; she's slept better last night then she has in weeks." Mrs. Jones replied, not missing the implications behind his words as Relena walked out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair with one hand and securing the last button on the coat of her suit.

__

"Ah, there you are my lovely, I was almost worried that I wouldn't get the chance to speak with you before you had to leave. How are you feeling, Relena Dearest?" Joshua asked, spotting the blonde woman from over the slightly hunched shoulders of her secretary.

"I'm well, thank you!" Relena said tartly as she pulled her hair up into a low ponytail and began to look through the papers in her briefcase; absentmindedly she noted that her pills were nowhere to be found within it.

__

"That is wonderful to hear, I take it that the medication did its trick, did it not?"

Relena found she was silently struggling not to tell him that she hadn't taken any of them yet before replying with, "Yes, like a dream."

"Marvelous! I'll be letting you go now; I don't want you to be late for your meeting! I love you, bye!"

"Tootles!" she replied as she waved with the tips of her fingers at him cutely; trying to portray the sweet, naïve, little girlfriend role while her eyes said differently.

"Tootles? Miss Relena, I'm old and even I don't say that!" Elena chuckled once Joshua had hung up.

"I didn't have time to think of anything better, Elena." Relena replied as they walked downstairs and outside to wait for Pagan to bring the limo to the front of the mansion. Relena stood admiring the sunshine and the rich scenery that was the gardens for a moment before turning to look at the elderly woman and ask, "What do you think of him, Elena?"

"Who do you mean? Mr. Joshua?" Elena questioned, turning her head to study her employer.

"Yes, what do you think of him?"

"…Pardon me for saying so madam, but, he seems frightfully odd he does." Elena replied.

"How so?"

"He just doesn't seem to add up right, you know, Miss Relena? He seem fairer but feels fouler, if you get what I mean."

"While everyone else looks foul but feels fair?" Relena laughed, enjoying how Mrs. Jones liked to quote that one line from the book The Lord of the Rings.

"Not everyone, Madam, but most." Mrs. Jones replied as they climbed into the back seat of the limo as he pulled up and were soon headed for the Cinq Kingdom Preventer base where Une was waiting for them.

Upon their arrival, they were escorted into the base, flanked by the five Preventer bodyguards who, up until an hour or so ago, had made themselves scarce whenever Relena went out in an attempt to avoid further hampering the poor diplomat anymore then they already had; with two Preventers on each side, Preventers Stingray, Seal, Dolphin, and Turtle, and one covering the rear, Preventer Eel, they were led into Preventer Earth's part-time office, which she only used when she was at the base as she was usually stationed elsewhere, before being asked to have a seat and Une dismissed the guards.

"How are things Miss Vice-foreign Minister, I trust that everything is going according to your requests?" Une asked as she paced the room, her hands held firmly behind her back before stopping to study the trio; Mrs. Elena Jones and Mr. Pagan Fuller looked well enough for wear, though, Elena was beginning to signs of arthritis in her hands and Pagan's hearing was getting worse every day; it would be hard to brake the news to Relena that her staff was getting to be too old to be working and she would soon have to make them retire; Relena herself was looking better then she did on her last visit to the Lady's office and was wearing less makeup then she had had ever worn in months, a sign that she must have been sleeping better.

"Though I would rather be without them, they aren't as much of a nuisance as they were before, no, in fact I was starting to wonder when they would actually show their faces again." Relena smiled.

"Preventer Stingray tells me that you gave his men quite a shock when you stormed in here that one time, but, he assures me that they have been, and I quote, 'minding their Ps and Qs around you ever since' end quote." Une said wryly, enjoying the slight pink tinge that graced the youngest of the surviving Peacecrafts' cheeks.

"Yes… well, I cannot say that I can blame them; I was rather high-strung that day." Relena mumbled just as there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." Une commended as her secretary, Miss Lynn, peeked her head in.

"Ma'am, a Mr. Jessie is here to see you." Miss Lynn said, her voice sweet and soft sounding to the ears.

"Good. Send him in." Une replied as the door opened all the way for a tall, bonze-tan skinned young man walked in dressed in full Preventers uniform and an unruly mop of mossy-green hair and sharp, falcon-like, green eyes to walk in.

"Jessie McCall reporting for duty ma'am." He said as he gave a salute.

"At ease, McCall I would like you to meet…" Une started to say but to Relena, Preventer Earth's voice seemed vary far away.

__

'His hair! I saw Heero with that hair in my dream! What's going on here?'

"Miss Relena? Are you alright?" Une questioned, snapping Relena out of her reverie.

"Hum… Yes… what did you say?" Relena asked, glancing up at top-ranking Preventer.

"I said; I'd like you to meet your new bodyguard, Jessie McCall, Preventer Smoke." Une replied slowly, eyeing the politician carefully.

"Oh, that's right, forgive me; it seems that I really out of it for a moment there, pleased to meet you, Mr. McCall." Relena said as she stood up to shake his hand.

"Likewise." he replied.

"Preventer Earth, I would like to ask what you intend to do with all of the other guards already watching over Miss Relena, what do you intend to do with them?" Pagan asked, his voice slightly shaky and gravelly with age.

"They will be reassigned to aid in helping with repair work on Dome three." Une replied before returning her gaze back to the Vice-foreign Minister and Preventer Smoke, also known as Preventer One, and said, "Preventer Smoke is be with you at all times when outside of your house, while you are their you both are free to do as you wish; Preventer Smoke is one of my best soldiers, outside of the Gundam Pilots, and is quite capable of handling any situation that you may, or may not, come across. Preventer Smoke, you are to respect the Vice-foreign Minister's space at all time, regardless of weather you are on duty or not; this is a twenty-four hours, seven days a week, job, you do not hang up your hat at the end of the day; is that understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." Jessie replied.

"Good. You are all dismissed. McCall, you will return with them to the Peacecraft estate; I will send your roommate later with your things." Une said as Jessie nodded in reply, saluted and followed the other three out of the office after Relena had finished with her goodbyes.

"We will have to forego returning to the mansion I'm afraid or I'll end up being late for work; I'm sorry if this doesn't coincide with your plans Mr. McCall." Relena said once they had made it to the limo

"It's fine." Jessie replied as he watched the trees go back outside the window.

"Mr. Jessie, allow me to be frank with you, I do not feel as if I need a bodyguard; regardless of how good you may very well be, I don't need anybody's protection so, after today, I'll just go about my normal routine and you are free to do whatever you want with your time, think of it as a vacation with full pay and all expenses paid." Relena said sternly, drawing his attention away from the window at into her Aqua-blue eyes, "So, do we have a deal?" she asked as she extended her hand for him to shake.

"Absolutely…" He began, her face lighting up with a look of triumph, "…Not." he finished with a smirk as her smug look slowly faded away.

"Miss Relena, we've arrived." Pagan said as he gently pushed the brake peddle, allowing the limo to come to a slow stop so as not to jar his passengers.

"Thank you Pagan." Relena said as she, Mrs. Jones, and Heero piled out of the car before she turned to him and whispered harshly, "Don't think that this conversation is over with, Mr. McCall."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He replied, making her growl angrily under her breath as she stalked her way up the ten steps that led into the building and rode the elevator up to the third floor where her office was located, all while he followed diligently behind her. Heero was really starting to enjoy pressing her buttons like this and, because of his false identity, he could pick on and tease her as much as he wanted without the fear of people assuming it "out of character" for the stoic Wing pilot. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy every minute of this.

"Just what are you grinning about?" Relena questioned as she turned around to face him, surprising him slightly that she knew what he was doing.

"Nothing of importance."

"Oh really, how so? Enlighten me!"

"You…" He replied as he took a step to the left, two steps forward, and a step to the right, effectively going around her and continuing on his way.

"And just where do you think you're going? How is it that you know where my office is?" she demanded as she hurried after him. Though she may have been unable to admit it, Mr. Jessie McCall's personality was strangely refreshing in comparison to all of the starch-shirted politicians that she was used to dealing with.

"Ever heard of a think called a map? There's one wall back there." He replied as jerked his thumb behind him as he continued on.

"Fine. You can be in my office all day if you want. I don't care." Relena said, making Heero freeze in his tracks.

"What?" he asked tonelessly, his back facing her.

"I'll be at a conference all day today, isn't that just grand? I was going to just pick up a file or two that I needed in my office but then I remember that I had packed them in my briefcase before I left the day before!" Relena said, her voice only sounding further and further away. It wasn't until Heero twirled around, however, that he figured out why, she had turned and walked over to the stairs and was now in the process of running back down to the ground level, giggling all the way. Needless to say, Heero didn't waste a beat after that to take off after her.

"Relena! This is crazy, you don't know who you're playing with here." Heero said as he chased her down the first flight of steps.

"I don't like bodyguards and do you know what? It's because, when everything else is said and done, they'll all the same! All you care about in the end is your blasted paycheck and someone to play the universe's babysitter! I'm not going to be forced into that!" She called back from the second flight, once again very thankful that Elena hadn't given her high-heels.

Heero, having grown very tired of the running game, decided to grab the railing and, using his momentum to swing himself over it, jumped down and landed on two stories down, just as Relena was nearing the last step and said, in a deep and menacing tone, "You don't have a choice." and with that, they walked out of the stairwell and back to the limo where Mrs. Jones and Pagan were waiting.

"Do you have everything, Miss Relena?" Elena asked as they climb in.

"I'm all set. To the airport, if you please, Pagan."

"Certainly Miss." Pagan replied as he shifted the limo out of the parked position and headed for the highway.

"Where are we going?" Jessie asked, once again his eyes focused on what was going on outside of the vehicle rather then what was going on within.

"Saint Petersburg, Germany; Miss Relena has been asked to give an update on the status of the mars colonization project." Mrs. Jones answered, her head turned to regard the Preventer youth as he continued to gaze blankly out the window.

"Why there and not just broadcast it from here? It would save time that way." He questioned.

"Unfortunately, ESUN thinks differently, they feel that it would be better if I address the topic while I'm there aiding in settling a dispute between France and Russia over god-knows-what they're arguing about," Relena sighed, as they walked into the airport, "There isn't a day that doesn't go by without somebody griping over something that somebody else has! Not even the colonies are immune to it, it seems, just two months ago I had to settle a mining dispute between L2 and L5 over some asteroid that supposedly both colonies discovered while two scavenger ships were out looking for old Mobile Suit parts! It's all very nauseating sometimes, you'll have to excuse me, I can be very outspoken over the subject."

"Understood." came his reply as they boarded into Relena's private jet and took their seats.

"I'll go and see if I can assist the pilot with anything." Pagan said as he ambled his way into the cockpit.

"And I'm going to touch up on my makeup before we take off. You dears play nice now while I'm away!" Elena said as she slowly removed herself from her seat between the two youths and, chuckling lightly as she walked off, went to the back of the jet where the restrooms were located.

"Sure will!" Relena replied cheerfully before turning to study the Preventer who had taken the isle-side seat and, with a perfect poker face scrolled over her features, she said, "I don't know who you think you are but, as sure as I still breath air, you aren't going to be at that meeting, Mr. McCall. God so help me, if I see so much as a spiky-haired shadow… I'll--" She was cut off by the distinctive ringing sound of the communication system, she reached over to the screen that was imbedded in the seat in front of her and answered the call by saying, in an aggravated tone, "WHAT?"

__

"Relena! How dare you speak to me in that manner?" Joshua demanded as his face appeared on the screen while Heero found himself unconsciously clenching and unclenching his fists when he heard Joshua's conceded response.

"Oh, sorry Joshua, you caught me at a bad time, I was busy speaking to… hang on a moment…" she said, pausing a moment to Jessie and saying, "Would you mind? This is a private conversation."

To which he replied with, "No, I don't mind at all, please, go on."

"Go. Away. Now!" she said as she tried, in vain, to push him out of his chair before giving up and turning back to the screen, attempting to ignore him. "Sorry Josh, he's not cooperating at the moment," she said as she shot the Preventer a sideways glare.

__

"Don't worry about it dearest…" Joshua replied while Heero fought the urge to be completely immature and make gagging sounds in the back of his throat as Joshua continued with saying, _"As soon as you arrive in Germany I'll be there to beat some manners into that uncouth Neanderthal."_

"My hero…" Relena begin, rolling her eyes at the thought; Joshua was, quite literally, a pushover when it came shows of brute strength. Relena was sure that he was going to end up looking something akin to a grease-splotch on the cement if he chose to pick a fight with a full trained Preventer. "No, really, Josh, I can handle it." she replied.

__

"Well… if you're sure… How have your headaches been?" Joshua asked, making Heero involuntarily sit up straighter as he watched the diplomat and waited for her response.

Suddenly feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise, Relena quickly glanced around the room; half expecting Heero, whom she still didn't realize was actually Jessie, to appear out of thin air before she replied, stuttering a little, "O-oh, uh, yes, th-that…" she paused to clear her throat, "I-I ahem! My head is still throbbing a little, but it's a dull comparison of what it once was." Out of the corner of her eye she caught Jessie slumping back in his seat, looking somewhat miffed at something. _'Just what are you hiding anyway Mr. McCall?'_ she wondered.

__

"Really? Take some more of those pills and you should be fine then, okay, Relena Dear?"

"Yeah, okay…" she said as she waved her hand slightly, dismissing the question as if it meant nothing as she watched her bodyguard tighten his jaw slightly, not enough to usually draw attention, but enough for Relena's well trained eyes to catch.

__

"So, well… aren't you going to at least tell me his name?" Joshua questioned, his face turning red at the fact that she appeared to be ignoring him.

"I'm Preventer Smoke, my name is Jessie McCall." Heero replied as he stood up and moved so that he was behind Relena's seat so that he could tilt the screen up so that he could memorize the face of the man that he was going to strangle when they arrived at their destination.

__

"McCall hum? You don't look Scottish to me." Josh sneered.

"My father was a mixed Scot and Japanese and my mother was a full blooded Jap." Heero replied; he had already planed ahead for these shorts of questions.

__

"That so? How interesting. So tell me, Jessie, where are you from and just how did you come to be a Preventer?" Joshua asked, leaning forward slightly on his desk as if to study the deathly quiet boy that was leaning over the Vice-foreign Minister's seat.

"Classified." Heero said, smirking when the man on the screen began to turn red.

Unfortunately, Relena wouldn't let him see what was bound to happen next as she quickly stood up, excused herself for a moment, and, grabbing the nineteen-year-old soldier by the ear lobe and twisting it slightly to indicate the pain she could inflict if he resisted, pulled him up to the cockpit and said, in an icy manner, "You have caused enough problems for me today. You, Mr. McCall, will. Stay. Put. Until I come back. Is that clear, soldier?" She didn't wait for him to respond and, with a curt nod to Pagan, she turned on her heels and left.

"I see that you've gotten on her bad side, Master Jessie; do you want to talk about it." Pagan said as he and the pilot, Mr. Young, chuckled.

"Hn." Heero mumbled and quickly went after the fuming diplomat, finding her speaking, once again, to Mr. Muller.

"Josh, please, try to calm down! You're overreacting!"

__

"I am not overreacting! That low-class, snotty, rude, piece of gutter--"

"Don't say things like that! I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you! It could vary well be possible that that kind of information is classified."

__

"I'm the son of the Chief Secretary of State! He has no--"

"It's not just you! He's talked like that to everyone today, including me!"

__

"How. Dare. You! You're defending him! What is he to you, huh? Your friend? Your other boyfriend? Oh, I know, MAYBE HE'S YOUR LITTLE WHORE, you cheating, self-centered--"

"STOP IT! He's nothing of the sort! How can you just sit there and say those things to me? Don't you know how much it hurts me when you call me things like that?"

__

'He's abusive, why is she putting up with it?' Heero thought as he slipped easily into the shadows where, much to his surprise, he found Mrs. Jones watching and listening in as well.

__

"That only proves your guilt! You're hurt because you know they're all TRUE!"

"No! No, they're not! Joshua, stop it! Stop trying to confuse me with lies!"

"I know what you're thinking. How could we have let it go on this long? I never knew Mr. McCall, I never knew he was like this when nobody else was around; I don't think that anybody did besides Himself and Miss Relena, I don't think she would have ever told anyone, she always felt like she's deserved it, in a way. That's what they always think, the ones who get treated like this that is, that they've earned every slap, every word, everything." Elena whispered.

__

"Why don't you go look in the mirror, you hideous, overweight, COW?"

"Stop it! I don't want to hear anymore! No more!"

"She's stronger then this; she should have walked away from it by now." Heero glared, hiding the pained look in his eyes when he saw her start wiping away her own tears roughly with the back of her balled up hands while the man on the screen continued his verbal assault.

"That's just it, she doesn't want to; she's too afraid of what would happen to the next girl that he would get a hold of, I think, she doesn't want to be responsible for someone else's pain." Elena replied as she schooled her features out of their saddened frown.

__

"If you're hurting, it's your own fault!"

"…She doesn't want to be responsible…" Heero echoed.

"You're right, it is my fault! It's my own fault for getting involved with YOU!"

"You have a sweet soul, did any every tell you that Mr. Jessie?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"…Someone else's pain…" He whispered as he stared out in daze as he watched Relena hang up on the line.

"If not, it's a real pity too… You're really sweet under that gloomy looking face of yours."

"Elena…?" Relena called from her slumped-over position in her seat.

"I'm right here, Miss Dorlain." Elena said as she, after giving Heero's hand a reassuring squeeze, walked out of the shadows and took her place next to the younger woman.

"Can you please get me something to drink? My throat is parched."

"Right away Madam." and, with that, Mrs. Jones stood up and went to retrieve the requested liquid.

"Heero, you can come out now; no one is here to see you except me." Relena said dully as she turned to focus her attention at the jet's port-whole shaped window.

"How did you know?" He asked as he stepped out into the light.

Relena's eyes widened slightly at the strange feeling of Da ja vu and, slowly, she replied with, "You're the only person in the universe that can make the hairs on my head stand on end." 

"Not even Jessie McCall?" Heero asked as he strode over to her and crouching down so that he was at her eye level, surprising her so much so that she whipped her face around and met his green contact-tinted eyes, making her gasp.

"It's you!" she cried, jumping up before forcing her racing heartbeat to slow and schooling her expression to mild, snobbish, annoyance as she replied, "I did not want a guard when I thought you were Mr. McCall and I do not want one now. If you're here because of some order you might as well just pack your things and leave as soon as we land."

"Why do you let him push you around?" Heero asked, disregarding her words.

"That's none of your concern!"

"I'm not going to leave until you tell me." Heero said, taking a seat and folding his arms over his chest; a silent challenge.

"Get comfortable then, because you're in for a long wait."

"I have all the time in the world."

__

"Attention all passengers; we will be arriving at Saint Petersburg airport momentarily. Please return to your seats and secure your trays and seatbelts, thank you." The pilot's voice said over the communication system and Mrs. Jones walked slowly back to her seat, the glass of water in hand.

"I'm sorry Miss Dorlain, but you'll have to drink it quick I'm afraid."

"No, it's alright Elena, thank you." Relena replied as she was given the glass and took a sip.

"It's alright Miss Relena, don't mention it." Elena replied as she seated herself in between the two once again and fastened her seat belt to prepare for the landing before turning her head to face the Preventer and saying, "Just be your sweet self."

Upon arrival at the airport, they were quickly ushered into the waiting, white and gold, limo and taken to the hotel where they dropped off their bags and, after having another heated argument with Relena, Heero and the others were on their way to the conference.

"Speech?"

"Check."

"Reading glasses?"

"Check."

"Notes?"

"Check."

"Self-destruct devise?"

"That's not funny, Elena!" Relena chided as the two women ran down her the check-list, making sure that they had everything.

"Master Jessie." Pagan began, trying to get the young man's attention, which was once again focused out the window, before saying, "I received a call from Preventer Two while you were checking our rooms for bombs, bugs, people in the shadows--"

"Get on with it." Heero interrupted the old man's, strangely amused sounding, voice.

"Yes, sir. He said to inform you that he and his men were already in place and awaiting our arrival."

"Good." He replied with a nod before returning to gazing blankly out the tinted rear window, watching for cars that could possibly be following them.

"Could to step on it Pagan, you old goat? We have a deadline to keep!" Mrs. Jones laughed as Pagan sped up suddenly, making Heero almost hit the window behind them face first before turning his head and glaring at the two forever-young adults. 

Relena could only giggle at the scene for a moment before she was lurched forward by the sudden stop, her seatbelt keeping her in place, while Heero tumbled back, as he wasn't wearing his, and landed with his rear-end in on the floor with his back bent in an odd angle with his chin pressed firmly on his chest, his arms crossed with the fingers of his right hand tapping on his left's upper arm with annoyance.

"We're here, Miss Relena." Pagan announced.

"Thank you Pagan. Oh, and Jessie?" Relena asked as she climbed out of the limo.

"Yeah?" Heero responded as he twisted himself around so he could set himself upright once again.

"Try not to kill yourself before the meeting is over."

________________________________________________________________________ Yipes! I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No… that's what the rabbit says… Actually, I just got tied up the past few days and, after the day is through, I won't be able to update until, at least, next week; I'm going to be busy helping my Grandma retile her basement floor. Oh lucky me…. -_-; I'm so glad I love my grandma, otherwise this might end up being one of those Un-fun chores that I hate… kinda like cleaning…

Anyways, I think I have around five-to-seven more chapters of this fic left and so, after these next few chapters, I really want you all to take a look at the list of Fanfic ideas of mine in my FF.net Profile and tell me what you like; on chapter seven I'll be listing them all here at the bottom of the fic so that you can read and vote when you're ready. Remember! EVERY VOTE COUNTS! You guys are the ones who will be deciding which one I write next!


	5. The Crash

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Chapter Five

__

"Are you sure that they don't suspect anything?"

"I'm sure of it. Heero and Relena have no idea about what we're trying to do."

__

"Have you informed the others yet, Lady Une?"

"Yes. Preventer Wind and Fire will be appearing here shortly, Quatre, we have everything under control." Une replied, exasperated with the young blonde businessman on the other end of the line.

__

"If you say so. Though, I'm not quite sure how he will react to us trying to set his little sister up with a war-trained assassin." Quatre said with a mischievous smile that would have made Duo proud.

"From what Noin has said, he seems to be taking it well and, in fact, almost appears to be looking forward to their wedding, strangely enough."

__

"Hum… Keep an eye on him, it may be nothing but there is always a chance that he may still be up to something; this doesn't feel right."

"I know what you mean and I've already sent Wufei to meet up with them as soon as possible…" Une said, pausing to look at the flashing red light as it sprang to life right before her eyes. "I have to go, I have another call on the line."

__

"Alright, take care and be careful!" Quatre warned as he disconnected his end of the line, making the other call automatically switch on.

__

"Yo, hey! Smoke and Angel have finally arrived, though, Heero seems a bit testy with Relena at the moment and Relena doesn't seem to be vary fond of him right now either." Duo said cheerfully as his face popped up onto the screen.

"What is your current status?"

__

"We're all set up, ready and waiting for Relena to hurry up and finish getting ready; I'll be going down to her dressing room in a bit to try and light a fire under her to see if that'll get her going faster but, other then that, everything seems to be in order."

"Good. See to it that Heero knows the escape transport vehicle is located and is aware of all of the exits available to them incase of the worst."

__

"Already done it…" Duo stopped to listen to the sound to thousands of clapping hands before adding, _"Sounds like Relena's just stepped out on stage as is ready to give us another one of her winning--"_ Duo's eyes widened at the sound of a gun going off before jumping out of his seat and running out of the room saying, _"WHAT THE HELL…? Sorry Une, Preventer Two out!"_

*****

While Duo was saying his hasty goodbye to Preventer Earth, Heero and Relena were busy running for the nearest exit, the trap door below the floor behind one of the curtains on the stage.

"What in the world…? Heero, why are we running? Where are you taking me?" Relena demanded. _'I have to help with evacuating the other delegates!' _she thought. He had a death-grip on her wrist and he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.

"There's no time for that! I'm getting you out of here." He said, almost reading her mind, as he jerked on her arm roughly, swinging her into the tiny opening in the floor and following not long after, making sure he didn't land on her once he reached the bottom, before snagging her by her other wrist this time and quickly navigating their way through the lightless tunnel.

"Heero, where are we--" Heero cut Relena off

"Quiet… we don't want them to hear--" Heero couldn't finish that sentence because of the sudden rain shower of ammunition and splintered wood that cascaded down onto them. One of the bullets shot through his arm and into the side of his chest, rendering his right arm useless and his lung most likely punctured until he could get himself fixed up.

They crashed into a large metal door at the end of the tunnel and Heero quickly unlocked it and pushing Relena though before she could be hit herself and almost not making his own way through the door before it was too late.

"Heero, your chest, it's--"

"Yeah, I know."

"We have to get you to a hospital and soon, otherwise you might--"

"I don't need a doctor, I can handle it myself. Right now the only thing that matters is getting you to safety." Heero said firmly, his eyes glaring down at her, indicating that he wasn't in the mood for games or arguments.

"Alright." Relena sighed, resigning herself to find out later why it was so important for a low-ranking government official, such as herself, to be safe while others of much higher standing were undoubtedly being killed off at that vary moment. With a grunt, Heero allowed her to support some of his weight; she took great care not to touch the bullet wounds, and walk their way over to a steel gray armored car and slid into the front seats. Heero, after much gritting of his teeth, managed to get into the driver's side and start the engine.

"Heero, you should let me, you can't possibly drive in you condition!" Relena said as she fought to gain control of the wheel.

"I'm fine!"

"Heero! You have a wounded arm, a whole in your chest, and your losing a lot of blood! I don't think that counts you as FINE!" Relena said as she tried climbing over him.

"We don't have time for this! If we don't get out of here soon all that's happened already will have been a complete waste!" Heero argued, pushing her back roughly with his good hand before slamming on the gas and speeding out of what appeared to have been an underground bunker followed closely behind by four unmarked sports cars.

"Heero, where's your gun?" Relena demanded as she rolled down her window and leaned her head out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Heero yelled as he pulled her back in before she got herself shot or he lost control of the armored car.

"I'm going to try shooting their tires! Now hand me your gun!"

"And how do you plan on doing that? You don't know how to shoot!" Heero said, veering sharply to the right as they rode up a rather large hill.

"BET ME!" Relena said as held her outstretched hand to him, her eyes imploring him to give her a chance.

"Fine. It's on the left hand side of my jacket." Heero said, clenching his eyes shut for a moment while she retrieved it; silently cursing himself under his breath for giving it to her before having to turn sharply to the left to keep themselves from driving clear off of the mountainside.

"Thanks Heero!" She said as she checked how many bullets it held within it's clip, _'You've only got sixteen shots Relena, I know that sounds like a lot, but you have to make each and everyone of them count!'_ she thought as she swung the upper part of her body out her window and fired the first three shots, taking out the first car, "HA HA! I told you I could do it!" She cheered as she ducked her head back in just in time for second round of bullets to come flying at them.

"Don't get cocky, there are still three more left." Heero reminded her with a cough, his vision was getting slightly fuzzy due to the lack of blood in his system; his right lung wasn't fairing so well either as it was starting to fill up with the red, metallic tasting, substance.

"Don't worry Heero, I won't let them get us." She replied, her tone soothing to his ears, as she leaned out and fired twice. She missed both times, "Drat!" she said, still finding it hard to swear even under circumstances such as this.

"Try again!" Heero ordered as he made another sharp turn; the rode was getting gradually more and more narrow as they continued up.

"Okay." she said as she stuck her head out and immediately stuck it back in as another volley was showered upon them, hitting the left rear tire, making Heero swerve dangerously close to the edge.

"Relena, hang on!" was the last thing she remembered before everything went blank.

*****

__

"Preventer Wind and Fire, I have some bad news for you…"

"Preventer Four, report to Saint Lucia Hospital ASAP. Preventer One and Angel have been taken there…"

"Preventer Water, I know this is going to ruin your wedding plans, but, I regret to inform you that…"

"Hey, Wufei, come back to earth, we need to here for something, buddy…"

"Hey… I'm calling for Trowa Barton and his sister Catherine Bloom…"

"Is this the Catalonia residence? It's Duo Maxwell calling… I have some bad news…"

"Preventer Earth… I don't know how to say this but…"

"Hilde, you need to come down here right away… I have something I need to tell you…"

"Mr. Muller, you need to come down to the hospital right away. Yeah, it's about your girlfriend…"

"Mrs. Jones, Miss Dorlain is in the ICU, tell Pagan for me…"

"Mrs. Dorlain? This is Duo Maxwell, I'm calling because I regret to inform you that…"

This was one of the things Duo hated about having to have been the other commanding officer on the Preventer fleet sent to guard the princess, it makes it his job to call and tell all of their loved ones that both Relena and Heero were in the Intensive Care Unit. Heero suffered from severe blood-loss, a dead lung, a bullet wound to his right arm, a fractured left leg, and a broken left arm while Relena sported a fractured skull, brain damage, a shattered shoulder, and bullet wound to her right hand. It wasn't a pretty picture; Duo was sure Heero would pull out of it in one piece but… as for Relena, he just didn't know.

"Duo! I came as soon as I got the news. How are they?" Hilde asked as she rushed into the waiting room where Duo was located in front of a videophone trying to keep his spirits up.

"Other then what I already told you on the phone, I don't know, the doctors aren't saying anything." Duo replied as he ran his fingers roughly though his messed-up hair; he hadn't so much as finger combed it since he found them. That was almost thirteen hours ago.

"Oh god, Duo… I don't know that to say, it sounds so unbelievable…" Hilde said softly as she sat down to comfort him.

"Yeah, well, believe it babe, believe it…GOD DAMN IT!" Duo yelled, slamming his fists on the table in front of them, "Why, why them? For the longest time, Heero was the closest thing I had to a friend since before my orphan days and now look what happens? The minute I start to think that it's safe to start caring again, somebody up their thinks it's a fun idea to try and kill somebody I know off!" Duo sighed, "Maybe it would just be better if nobody ever met me…"

"Duo, don't say things like that! And don't you dare start trying to blame yourself on all this! That's just stupid! It wasn't your fault; you never could have stopped it even if you did know! SO KNOCK IT OFF!" Hilde cried, tears falling down her face as she buried herself into his chest.

"Oh shit, babe, I'm sorry. Look… don't cry, I didn't mean it… I'm just so frustrated that it had to happen to them, that's all. Stop it Hilde, you know I don't like seeing you brake down on me like this! Please, Hilde, stop, before you get me started…" Duo said as he held her close and wept silently into her hair, waiting for the worst.

"Have any of the others arrived-- I'm sorry, do you want me to--" Quatre stammered upon realizing that he had walked in on a private moment.

"No, it's okay, the more the merrier. How have you been Quatre?" Duo said as he quickly wiped away the watermarks on his cheeks as he looked over his comrade, studying the blonde carefully.

"I'm as well as can be expected. I feel as if this was all my fault, that if I hadn't tried getting them together again this wouldn't have happened." Quatre replied, as he took a seat across from the pair and sighed, letting his emotions just drain out of him.

"Everybody feels the same way, I think." Hilde replied as she studied her fingernails.

"Don't tell me that they died already?" Dorothy exclaimed as she entered the room via the swinging glass doors.

"Miss Dorothy--" Quatre said, standing up.

"No, they aren't dead yet, at least, not to my knowledge." Duo said sadly; he was really starting to get sick and tired of people asking things like that. It did little to no good with improving their situation.

"'Not to your knowledge'? What kind of answer is that?" Dorothy questioned before striding over to the front desk and saying, suddenly so that the nurse sitting there yelped in surprise, "Get me the head doctor in this god-awful place!"

"Y-yes ma'am, right away!" the shaken young woman said as she reached over to the communication system to page Doctor Maria Conner while Dorothy flashed the others a smug smile before leaving the poor nurse to her work. "Let's see if THAT doesn't get us more information or not." she smirked as she seated herself next to Quatre.

"It's good to see that you haven't changed, Miss Dorothy, how are you feeling?" Quatre asked with a gentle smile on his face, somewhat thankful that Dorothy still had her "take-charge" attitude over things.

"I'm worried about Miss Relena but other then that I'm doing rather well, don't you think?"

"I think you're handling things better then most at the moment." Hilde replied.

"Thank you. I don't believe that we've met, I'm Dorothy Catalonia." Dorothy said, shaking hands with Hilde.

"Hilde Schbeiker, nice to meet you."

"Ditto."

"I hope we aren't late…?" A slightly amused, yet bored sounding, voice said behind them, making Dorothy and Quatre turn their heads to look.

"Trowa!" Quatre exclaimed as he leapt out of his seat and rushed over to his companion to give the taller man a friendly hug. "It's good to see you again, old friend."

"You too Quatre." Trowa replied as he eased the youthful blonde back.

"Well, well, hey good looking!" Duo whistled upon noticing Catherine in a form fitting, lavender, sundress standing not much more then a step or so behind her "brother".

"I remember you, you were the one that saw Trowa when he still had amnesia." Cathy commented as she shyly took Trowa's hand.

"The one and only! I'm Duo Maxwell and this lovely lady next to me is Hilde."

"Duo!" Hilde blushed; she still had a bit of a crush on the male circus performer. "Nice to meet you Miss--"

"Catherine Bloom." Cathy interrupted.

"--Miss Catherine."

"The pleasure is all mine." Cathy smiled before turning to Quatre and giving him a hug herself, saying, "I just want to make sure that there are no hard feelings between us."

"I understood you from the beginning, Miss Catherine, you were just trying to protect Trowa from danger." Quatre replied, returning the kind gesture.

"Thanks; hello, I haven't met you, what's your name?" Cathy said, walking over to Dorothy and shaking hands.

"Dorothy Catalonia."

"Pleased to meet you. Oh and I must say…" Cathy began before dropping into a whisper so that only Dorothy could here what she was saying. Dorothy blushed and firmly shook her head "No". "That's a pity, I was so sure that you two would look sweet together." Cathy said before backing away when someone behind them coughed.

"I'm Doctor Conner; are you all here to see Miss Relena and Mr. Jessie?" a tall redhead with thick glasses asked as she glanced down at her clipboard.

"You bet we are! What's the news? How are they?" Duo asked as he stepped forward.

"Is everyone present?" the doctor asked as she scanned the room over the black frames of her glasses at the small gathering of friends.

"Not yet, but I'm sure that the others are on their way." Quatre replied.

"…I see…" Maria mumbled, biting her lip softly as she thought, "Are any of you related to either of them?"

"Jessie doesn't have any relatives and Relena's brother and his wife are still on their way." Duo replied, folding his arms over his chest; he was really starting to wonder what this woman was trying to get at.

"That's really too bad, you see, I can't release anymore information without at least one of them present."

"Wait no longer then," bellowed Zechs' husky voice as he entered the seventh floor of the hospital via the stairway; he was too inpatient to wait for the elevator. Noin hurried in after him, followed closely by Mrs. Dorlain, Elena, Pagan, Sally, Wufei, Marie-Maya and Anne Une. Doctor Conner blinked at the sudden invasion of people that poured into the waiting room.

"Well then, now that everyone is here, I think it's safe to say that both patents are doing surprisingly well, though, concerning Miss Relena, I regret to inform you that--"

"WAIT! Wait for me… forgive me for being late, I was held up at a meeting…" A lanky young man said as he rushed into the room dressed in a black and white striped business suit and a briefcase in his right hand.

"Who are you?" the doctor asked.

"J-Joshua Muller, Madam… oh… excuse me, I had to run to catch the elevator." He said as he straightened his heavily starched shirt collar.

Mrs. Conner waved her hand dismissively at him with her hand before continuing with, "As I was saying; I regret to inform you that Miss Relena has a severe concussion, undoubtedly due to when the back of her head was smashed into the dashboard of the armored car, at least that's my best guess, as she wasn't wearing a seatbelt when Mr. Maxwell found them; at any rate, the whole section of her brain in the far back of her head was pretty-much smashed in." Doctor Conner said, calmly adjusting her glasses in the bridge of her nose, waiting for the shock to wear off.

"What do you mean?" Milliardo, also know as Zechs, asked slowly, unsure if he really wanted to hear this.

"Well, sir, what I mean is, because that particular section of the brain is used for processing what our eyes see… what I mean to say is that she, your sister, is blind, sir."

*****

__

'In and out, in and out, in and out; keep your breathing at steady intervals' He thought as he slowly forced his eyes to open into the black-gray of the room, listening to the soft, consistent, beeping of the heart monitor at the side of his bed. _'Where…Where am I?' _he trailed his eyes slowly about the room. 

'In and out, in and out…' he reminded himself, noting that he was having great difficulty moving his arms and legs, though, after checking, he noticed that they weren't tied down. _'This is Saint Lucia hospital…'_ he thought as he read the words: _property of St. Lucy ICU _on the plastic casing of the monitor. 

'What…what happened?' he thought, trying to remember where he was last, failing to conjure up the image. He fought the urge to yawn; he was so tired, all he felt like doing what turning over and going back to sleep. 

He studied the state that his body was in; whatever happened to him had to have been quite an ordeal otherwise he wouldn't have so many tubes, wires, and bandages on himself, _'What happened…?' _he asked himself once again, this time he could feel the steering wheel under the palm of his left hand, hear the sounds of guns ringing out, tires screeching, gears jamming and… screaming… _'Who was screaming…?'_

"RELENA HANG ON!"

__

'Who… who was that?'

"Don't worry Heero, I won't let them get us."

__

'She wasn't…she didn't…'

"Try again!"

"Okay."

'I was…? What happened?'

"Relena… Relena, you have to stay awake… damn it! Wake up!" his voice echoed in his head, his mind showing himself diving to cover her body when she had hit her head on the hard steel dashboard as they fell…

__

'Fell…where did we fall?'

Flashes of the trapdoor behind the curtain; them stumbling into the front seat of the car; the mountain road appeared and disappeared before his eyes just as quickly as they came…

__

'The tire was shot… I lost control… it was my fault…'

"RELENA HANG ON!"

'Stop… I know… I know now, stop…'

"Heero, you should let me, you can't possibly drive in you condition!" She said as she fought to gain control of the wheel…

__

'I know, I should have listened…'

"…Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for com--" A gunshot rang out, cutting her speech short as he snagged her by the arm and started running, pulling her along with him…

__

'What's wrong…? Why didn't it work…? I did everything I could… didn't I?'

Flashes of other possible options swarmed in his head like a flock of birds…

__

'I did everything I could! There was no other way!'

Pictures of other exits appeared in his mind's eye…

__

'It was the fastest way out…'

"Quiet… we don't want them to hear--" 

A sudden rain shower of ammunition and splintered wood cascaded down onto them.

'There wasn't enough time to go back…' Heero thought as the door into the room was slowly pushed open.

"I suppose you could see him… but I need to remind you that he's still… OH MY GOD!" A tall woman with bright red hair and tick, horn rimmed, glasses screamed as she clutched where her heart was located when she saw his head move before she rushed him and began looking him over, saying, "This is impossible! You shouldn't even be alive right now, let alone awake! Most of your minor wounds are already almost healed…"

"Hey, Jessie, good to see you up; you really had the ladies worried there for a moment!" Duo chimed in, but not before getting jabbed in the ribs by Hilde.

"Yeah, and like you weren't worried about him at all, right?" Hilde said, raising an eyebrow up at the braided young man.

"It really doesn't surprise me that he's recovering so quickly, He-- I mean Jessie-- has always been a fast healer." Sally remarked, almost letting his old codename slip.

"Really… how odd… Well Mr. McCall, no matter how fast your flesh wounds are healing up, I still feel that it would be better if you stayed in bed for a few more days just to be sure that everything's alright." Doctor Conner said as she busied herself with checking his heart rate.

"Where's Relena?" Heero asked, all but ignoring the doctor's suggestion, as he stood up on his only good leg, supporting himself by leaning up against the starch-white wall at the head of the bed.

"Mr. Jessie, sit down right now! I will not be having to pull any of those twenty-one stitches in your chest out!" Maria said, glaring at him.

"I won't say it again; where's Relena?" Heero repeated.

"Easy buddy-- Sally get the man a wheelchair-- I'll take you to her if you just chill for a bit, okay man?" Duo said, sending Sally off to retrieve the object in question, as he helped the ex-Wing Zero pilot back onto the bed while the doctor busied herself with detaching some of the equipment from the young man's body.

"I've got the wheelchair, where do you want it Duo?" Sally asked as she rolled it into the room.

"Right here is good. Thanks a bunch, Sal." Duo replied as he guided the wheelchair over to where Heero was seated before locking the wheels and helping his comrade into it's lose, sling-like, fake leather seat while Quatre adjusted one of the footrests so that Heero wouldn't jar his broken leg anymore then he already had.

"I can do this on my own!" Heero complained as he shooed them away so that he could unlock the wheels on the chair and roll it out of the room on his own.

"Mr. Jessie! You'll pull your--"

"I. Don't. Care." Heero growled, causing the red haired doctor to end her sentence prematurely, before continuing on his way.

"Alright Jessie, I'll show you where she's at, but I gotta warn you… it's not a pretty sight." Duo said as he matched his pace with his best friend as he directed him and the others down the long, desolate, hallways under the flickering florescent lights and to a door with the numbers: _two-twenty-nine_ made out of gold-covered brass nailed just above eye level with a large bulletproof window just to the left of door to allow for visitors to see in.

Inside the room Relena lay, dressed in they typical white hospital smock, with crisp white sheets over her lean frame, her head wrapped snugly with thick medical bandages that ran from just below the base of her skull to just above her eyebrows and all the way to the vary top of her head.

"What is the state of her condition?" Heero asked, his voice betraying nothing in his eyes which seemed to shake at the sight of seeing the young woman that he had known since he was fifteen years old looking so frail.

"She's stable for now; Relena's fractured her skull, has a shattered shoulder, bullet wound to her hand, and she's blind… at least that's what the doctors' have said so far." Hilde said as she pressed one of her warm hands onto the icy cold glass of the window as she looked at the young Vice-foreign Minister lying on the hard hospital bed within.

"You didn't fair much better I hear; I checked with one of the nurses on my way up, they said that you were in severe condition when you were checked in." Quatre added, turning away from the window to regard the stoic man next to him.

"Hn."

"Ugh! Don't remind me! I swear I'm going to have nightmares for months after this!" Duo said, turning slightly green at once again recalling all of the blood the limbs twisted into unnatural angles when he found their vehicle upside-down at the foot of a five-mile high mountainside with the whole front of it completely smashed in by a two-hundred year old red-oak.

"Well, personally, I think it was a case of poor decision making on your part, Mr. McCall, that you crashed and put my darling Relena in there and I fully intend to make sure that you never work in Preventer again." Joshua said snottily, attempting to make Heero feel insignificant by glaring down at him. Heero remained unimpressed by the show of theatrics by the clearly spoiled Joshua Muller.

"You will do no such thing!" Mrs. Amanda Dorlain snapped, stepping into the fray, "I'm sure that he did everything in his power to get Relena to safety and you have no right to treat him after all he's been through already! If anybody has the right to do such a thing, it would be me, and I'm not going to do that to this poor man. I think he's suffered more then enough for something that he had little to no control over." she said firmly, finding herself strangely protective of the wounded soldier.

"I agree with Amanda," Zechs said, taking his place beside the woman who had raised his little sister and, after the war, insisted that he was going to be her son as well whether he liked it or not, "It's not your place, Muller. I suggest that you go home, you need to get yourself under control before I can allow you to see my sister."

"What is this? Have you all turned against me? Fine, I'll excuse myself; let Relena know that I send my best of wishes to her when she wakes up." Joshua huffed, his icy eyes blazing with a strange fire within them, before turning around stiffly and walking off.

"Is it just me, or is there something not right about him?" Duo commented as he scratched his head.

"He's not being completely honest with us, Duo." Trowa replied casually.

"Whatever the case, I don't want him back here. I think he's been purposely drugging the Vice-foreign Minister." Heero said, glaring at Joshua's retreating back.

"He's WHAT?" Duo gaped.

"The Haber Drug to be exact." Heero replied.

"That would explain how strange Miss Relena's been acting for the past few months." Mrs. Jones murmured, her thick accent making it rather hard for the others to understand.

"That seems to fit well with what I've been hearing lately about her." Sally commented.

"The only question is what do we do now?" Quatre asked worriedly as he returned his gaze to the figure behind the window.

"Wufei, I want you to do some digging up on Mr. Muller. I want everything you can find out on him on my desk in eighteen-hundred hours." Une said, giving out orders.

"I'll see to it that Relena gets a counter-drug shot as soon as possible." Sally announced before saluting and going off to locate the head doctor.

"Trowa, I want you to stand watch of Relena while Heero continues to recover." Une said, turning to regard tallest of the five gundam-men.

"Right. Cathy, why don't you call Michel and have him pick you up and take you back to the hotel." Trowa said, nodding to Une before addressing his sister.

"Don't worry Trowa, I've got it covered." Catherine replied with s smile as she pulled out her cellular phone and quickly pressed the speed dial to their manager's hotel room.

"I'll help Wufei, that is, if he doesn't mind?" Quatre asked, glancing at the Chinaman who gave him his nod of approval.

"Alright, Jessie, I will speak to the doctor to see if it is possible for you to stay in with Relena if you want." Une said, quickly making eye contact with Quatre, who smiled secretively in return, before focusing her attention on the man seated in the wheelchair.

"Yeah." He replied, not missing the exchange between the Winner youth and Preventer Earth. Heero drew his eyebrows together slightly, not enough to draw attention to himself, as he contemplated the meaning behind silent communication between them.

"Mrs. Jones and I will return to the hotel with Mr. And Mrs. Marquise along with Mrs. Dorlain." Pagan said as he fought back a yawn. He was starting to get tired.

"That sounds like a good idea. Hey, Duo, I've got to get back to my post; they'll get suspicious if I'm gone for too long." Hilde said as she planted a kiss on the braided man's cheek before flouncing off along with the others, leaving just Heero, Duo, Wufei, Quatre, Trowa and Anne within the halls.

"Well, we better get to work Wufei, what do you say? Some nice strong coffee in order?" Quatre said jokingly.

"You're buying." Wufei replied as they walked off.

"You have yourself a deal." echoed Quatre's faded reply.

"You two stay here; I'll be back shortly." Une ordered before she left.

"So… what do you think?" Duo asked after a long pause in the conversation.

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, turning his gaze to the window where his reflection glared back at him. He switched his nose in disgust; he looked like hell.

"Of Swiss cheese, what do you think?" Duo snapped, "I'm talking about what all that's happened! What do you think about it?"

"I think you need to stop eating so much sugar, it makes you hyper." Heero said, avoiding the subject.

"Duo, now is not the time." Trowa said, his eyes narrowing slowly in a quiet warning.

"Yeah, sure, if you say so man."

________________________________________________________________________ That took be longer then I expected. I hope you all liked it! I should have the next chapter out soon but I should be slowing down a bit; I have two other non-Gundam Wing stories that I need to work on that have fallen onto the back burner and if I don't start working on them again my mom just might have a cow!

For those of you who are interested in knowing where the votes stand as of now, I have them listed below for you:

1. I know this has already been done, but I think the person that was originally writing it stopped, and besides that, I plan to put a few new twists to if then she did, I'm thinking about going a Gundam wing/Escaflowne fic; it would have five parts to the full series, the first part would be totally Escaflowne (mostly about how Hitomi gets back to Gaea and about her and Van's son, Aden Folken de Kenzaki-Fanel, long name, I know, and how he got separated from them) "Aden! Aden, where are you?" "I'm over here mummy!". The second part would be Totally Gundam Wing (this part would be about how Heero discovers the hidden planet, a secret of Odin Lowe, Something that Dr.J left for him and eventually he gets taken to Gaea) "What's this? Cards…? That's what he left in his will for me?". The third would be about Heero wandering around on Gaea trying to figure some things out and ending up meeting Van and Hitomi and the things that happen because of it "Oh good! You're awake! I was starting to worry about you." "Relena?" "Nope! You're a good guesser though; my name is Celena". The fourth part is about Relena and the other G-guys trying to find him and somehow stumbling on the answers, and the way to Gaea themselves "How can you just stand there and not be worried about him? HOW? Heero could be lost laying in some cold damp street somewhere dying for all we know and you are all just standing there like it's no big deal!". The last is the conclusion "Oh my god! HEERO!" she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a great bid hug, "I was afraid that I would never see you again! I missed you so much…". {Six votes here}

2. This one is completely original on my part and is an AU unlike any other, that I know of: Heero, a Bounty-hunter, gets lost in a forest while trying to track down the Infamous thief, Duo Maxwell, and finds himself having to camp inside of a cave with a peculiar stream water flowing within it, after testing it and finding it "safe" to drink, Heero has his fill of it, but, unknown to him, quenching his thirst comes at a high price. He wakes up the next morning in the body of a wolf and finds out that he can only be human if there is no sun OR moon out! And now he has either find a cure, learn how to survive as a being of the forests, or else. "Astor! Shepherd! …I hate it when they do this… You rotten dogs! Get back here!" "Well, well, look at what we have here boys… a pretty little lady lost and all alone. What do you say missy? Want old Joey and his friends to show you home?" the man snickered. "No! Let go of me! Somebody! Help, HELP!" {Five votes here}

3. This one is very common, but I'm willing to try my hand at it: Heero loves Duo, but he also loves Relena; and the feelings are mutual from both of them. What is a guy to do? This would be my first attempt at a yoai fic if I decide to do it. "The thing is, should I even try to have something more then just friendship with either of them? I don't want one of them to think that they lost me to the other…so, what do I do?" {Three votes here}

4. Locked away in a mental institution isn't what she had envisioned what would have happened to Him, him being Heero Yuy, but now, after Relena as seen him locked in there with her own eyes, can she really say that he doesn't belong there? "Damn it, Relena, listen to me! I'm not-- let go of me-- I'm not crazy I tell you, I'm not!" {Six for this one}

5. Looking down at the Scrap-yard, she couldn't help but feel more then just a touch of jealousy towards the black-haired blue-eyed ex-oz soldier, Hilde, but also knowing that she wasn't what he needed in his life; she kept her heart out of it, and started working on putting both the Deathscythe pilot and the girl together; even if it killed her. This would be my first Duo-and-Hilde fic. "Ugh! How hard could it possibly be for this MORON to pull his head out of his ASS long enough to see that this chick digs him? I can't believe this!" {Two votes here}

6. What if Triton Bloom was alive, and he wasn't Trowa? What would No-name do, and think, if he met Cathy's real brother? Would he feel replaced and out-matched compared to the real thing? A Non-romance fic, this is just about family. "You want me to share a room with him?" "Yes, Trowa, I want you guys to share a room. Don't look at me like that! It won't be so bad!" two days later: "HELP! CATHY! Trowa's lost it! I think he's gonna kill me! HELP!" {Eight votes for this one already}

7. Relena's guards love to work over-time, they never complain, they think they get paid too much for what little they claim to do, they're selfless, gentle, sweet, kind, caring, lovable...Are. You. Nuts? Felina, Jasmine, JinChi, and Fiora are anything BUT that and now that the "great and all mighty non-perfect Heero Yuy" is around, they find themselves fighting to keep the jobs that they hate, all while trying to hook the lovebirds up! "Remind me again how it was that we got sweet-talked into this mess?" "If I do recall, it was you who suggested this outlandish idea, Fiora Eleri." "…Thanks for reminding me, why oh why did I want to do this?" "Because you're a hopeless romantic at heart?" "It's either that or she's crazy…" they all looked at each other for a moment before saying, "Crazy." {Twelve votes for this one}

8. Milliardo hated action figures; they reminded him too much of his little sister's dolls, so, why he got the twelve-inch-tall Zero-One Gundam Pilot: Heero Yuy, "G.I. Joe-like" action-figure for his tenth birthday, he never knew. His sister, who had to stay at home because of the chickenpox, was enthralled when he offered to let her play with "it" whenever she wanted to. But, something is very strange happens when, suddenly, nine years latter, he comes to life! "Relena! We're home darling!" "Relena… are you feeling better?" "Not really, was your party fun?" "It was okay, here, you can play with this when you're lonely while I'm away at school, okay?" "Really? Your brand new toy? Thank you Milliardo!" {Five votes for this one}

9. What if: Western (the sequel to What if: Myth) what happens when a "city slicker" schemes to buy out a whole town that stands on the world's biggest oil-well in history? The Keeper's of Mystic return to the lands of the living again, of course! But, how are they going to be able to reunite when they can't even remember whom they were? And, most importantly, who is who in the times of sharpshooters, outlaws, and "red-skins"? "I don't know who you are and, quite frankly, I just don't care. But, if you think that you're gonna get away without buying a ticket to ride this here train, you got another thing comin'!" {Four votes here}

10. It's been done a million times before, but never in a way like this: Gundam Wing Outtakes, these outtakes, unlike most others out there, are geared more toward the funny-serious style that I am known for. "BRIAN! Stop making goggle eyes!" in this 'series' I will be using the names of the American voice actors and be telling of their exploits all through the series as if they really were the Gundam Pilots and all of the other characters. "Piffff! Hahahaha! I'm sorry Cole, I couldn't help it!" My first attempt at pure humor. {Five Votes for this}

11. What if Relena never met Heero on that beach? What if she never found out that he was a Gundam Pilot? I'll be going back through the series and rewriting it to find out. What will the outcome be? Was meeting Heero Yuy a major part of her becoming the woman she is today? I hope to try and find out. "What kind of person is he?" {Two votes here}

12. The Shreens are beings from a distant plant outside of the earth's solar system who are a race of all women who survive by attacking other inhabited planets and stealing all of their men for the use of breeding and for slaves. And now, with Heero presumed dead, it's up to Relena to stop them before it's too late. "Don't you like my pet, Queen Relena? He has the most beautiful eyes, why don't you come closer my pet so that she can see you better hum…?" Shiva said as the large figure that sat by her chair moved into the light. Relena gasped, "Heero!". My first attempt at writing lemons but since FanFiction.net doesn't allow those anymore, I'll post the lemon parts to this fic (which aren't all THAT important to the plot) on my website (which is listed in my FF.net profile). {Four votes for this one}

13. "In other news today: Relena Darlian was shot today at the peace-talks on L4, she was dead on the scene. Relena left behind her brother and sister-in-law and their two-year-old son, Zachary. Relena, if you can hear us up there, we will miss you…. And now for--" Heero turned off the TV and looked over at the cat that lay curled up on the sofa next to him; it was nursing it's single, lonely, kitten. "They didn't mention you, Indigo." the black cat ignored him, but her yellow and orange-striped kitten stopped her suckling to look up at him and mew before going back to her mother's teat. 'Something is very strange about that kitten…' Heero thought. Too bad that he didn't know how right he really was… 'Well that explains a lot.' the kitten thought as she continued to nurse, 'I died that day and then… I was, I was reborn then as, as Indigo's kitten… Poor Heero, I wish I could tell him…' {Five votes here}

14. A request was made that I try to combine Story idea number Six and Seven together. I want to know if anyone else likes this idea. {Two vote here}

15. An epilog for What if:Myth {Four votes here}

Here is the new list of FanFic Ideas that I want you all to look at, please note that I removed the one for "Never, Ever, After" and readjusted the numbers on you. Let me know what you think, okay?

Current Standings:

In first place: #7 with Twelve votes.

Second place: #6 with Eight votes.

Third place: #1, #4 with Six votes.

Fourth place: #13, #2, #10, #8 with Five votes.

Fifth place: #9, #12, #15 with Four votes.

Sixth Place: #3 with Three votes.

Seventh Place: #5, #14, #11 with Two votes.

And that's it! Please note that you can vote for as many different fics as you want.

Until next time! Byes!


	6. In Dreams

****

Never, Ever, After

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By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

I would like to take this time to list all of the people who have reviewed this fic and to thank them for taking the time to give me their honest opinions about it: Mysterious Ocean's Mists, Abex, Relwarc, artemis1082, NafX, Mystikat, Slash Gorden, Silence, Danny Elf, ekwebmaster, dee, Rei Tamashii, Triton Bloom, Dan Inverse, SailorDigi-Oh-Light, criminal wreckchords, Eric, Lain, (and last but certainly not least…) Erin Lowe.

You guys are so awesome, yes, even you SailorDigi! And for those of you who think that this is going to end up be all fun and games, well, I've got news for you; there are still a few more twists and turns ahead and it's only going to get darker and darker from this point on! So sit back, fasten those seatbelts cause here we go!

~Prinder

****

Chapter 6

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'When did everything get so dark outside? Is there even a window in this room? Where am I?' Relena thought as she let out a long, lengthy, moan as she pressed gingerly on her bandage-covered left temple. Her head was killing her.

"Well, it's about time you woke up sleepyhead!" a voice, which she quickly recognized as her adoptive mother, Amanda Dorlain, said with a chuckle.

"Mother… what time is it?" She asked as she slowly sat up as her achy muscles screamed silently in complaint about being moved from their state of rest.

"Six…" Amanda replied sparsely; she wanted to avoid breaking the news to her daughter for as long as possible.

"AM or PM, and how long have I been out?" She questioned, pushing down the feeling in the back of her neck when she felt Heero's eyes boring into her from somewhere in the darkness; did her mother know that they were being watched in this god-awful pit that they called a room?

"PM dear; you haven't been unconscious very long, only for a day or so." Amanda replied, making eye contact with the boy sitting in the bed on the other side of her daughter's. He was squinting to keep the bright light that poured in through the soundproof window that was located behind the older woman's chair.

"How is everyone?" Relena said, attempting to make small talk.

"They're all doing fine." Amanda said, thinking, _'Everyone is fine except you.'_

"Can you turn on the light or something? It's so dark in here; why are you sitting the dark anyways?" Relena asked. Heero fought the urge to wince at the blank look within the dark, aqua-blue, orbs; her eyes looked like that of a dead man's.

"…Relena, I have something to tell you." Mrs. Dorlain said, slipping into "Diplomat's wife" mode as she usually did when she had to tell her daughter something important.

"Mother, what is it?" Relena said, her eyes, unknowingly, shaking upon the realization.

"The lights are on, Relena, and the window's curtains are pulled open as far as they can go and the light from the setting sun is as bright as anything."

"I don't now what you're saying… Mother, what do you mean?" Relena asked her eyebrows pinched together as she thought.

"You can't see anymore, Relena…"

*****

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"You can't see anymore, Relena…" 

Even after her mother had long left the hospital, the words still echoed back and forth in her head; their meaning left her no choice but to form a list of things she could not do anymore, on a notepad that she couldn't see with messy writing that she was sure that looked a fright as she wrote:

__

-Sign documents.

-Read documents.

-Write (very well).

-Watch the sunset.

-Go out for a run (vary easily).

-Work (without any trouble).

-See my Bother's face again (or anybody's for that matter).

-Be (totally) independent.

-Watch a movie.

-Read a book (without the use of Braille).

-See the look on Heero's face when we throw him a surprise birthday party…

Relena chucked when she heard Heero's muscles tense up from somewhere nearby; the rustling of fabric gave him away and she supposed he was be the curtains, next to the window; how else could he have made that sound? "Tricked you didn't I? You thought that I didn't know you were in here, didn't you Heero? She asked in an amused, yet slightly bitter, tone.

Heero refused to answer and Relena mentally added not being able to see his eyes anymore; the one thing that ever gave his feelings away to anyone who would look closely enough. Heero, in the meantime, was debating with himself whether or not to get up and remind her that there were other ways for the blind to get along without the use of their sight; he didn't move.

"I'm not angry with you." Relena said suddenly from her spot on the other bed.

"Huh?" Heero snapped his head up to look at her, her eyes staring at the wall behind him.

"I'm not angry with you, if that's what you're worried about." She replied, smiling at the slipup he made; a sure sign that she had surprised him again.

"You're not." He stated trying to come to grips with what she meant.

"There was nothing else you could have done. You did everything that you could do, everything that WE could do, to prevent it from happening. Do you believe in fate, Heero?"

"No."

"I do… I believe that, sometimes, things happen for a reason… Maybe there is something that I need to learn from this that I didn't realize until now; it's possible, isn't it?"

He got out of his bed and made his way over to the window; looking out as the first stars in the night barely began to peek through the cobalt blue sky as he said, "I can't protect you anymore." his voice calm and even all the while his eyes took on an unusually glossy look; they were watering. He silently told himself that it was because he knocked some dust free from the curtains as he bushed past.

"What happened to you Heero?" she asked as she pulled her legs under herself and forced herself onto her knees; still facing Heero's bed.

"I lost a lung and they say that I won't be able to function to my full capability ever again because of it." he replied as he tried to ignore how strange it felt to have her not being able to look him in the eyes and give that silent message from her own, ocean colored, orbs saying that she still trusted him and that she knew that everything would be alright even though she knew that it wasn't.

"It's never stopped you before, what people have said that is, so why is it stopping you now?" she demanded, making him turn to regard her; her shoulders were pulled back with her chin held high and, if he could have seen her face, he was sure that her eyes were narrowed and flashing with that fire hidden deep within the girl that was sitting on the bed with her feet tucked under her rear and glaring at an object that wasn't there. He didn't realize that he was laughing until she turned her head and made her blank eyes meet his own.

"You move so quickly; I didn't even realize it," she said, turning the rest of her body so that she was more comfortable. "Heero, what happens now?" she asked, somehow not seeming worried about it; asking more for conversational reasons then for any other.

"I don't know, yet."

*****

"They make a really cute couple, don't you think so Wufei?" Quatre asked, staring down at the security monitor before Wufei reached over and shut it off, knocking the blonde man out of his trance.

"Stop fooling around. We don't have forever." Wufei said with a smirk; letting the other know that he thought the same.

"Did you have any luck with checking the Person-search?" Quatre asked, turning back to the printer as a long stream of information flowed out of it in the form of computer code. He grimaced; it was going to take Heero's incredible decoding skills to sort the whole mess out.

"Nothing that we don't already know." Wufei replied.

"I was afraid you were going to say that. That's it, I'm going to call in a few favors…" Quatre said as he leaned over to the videophone and switched it on before beginning to dial.

__

"This is the Branwen; what can we do you out of?" a cheery boy with a long, lean, build said as his face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, remember me?" Quatre asked with a smile.

__

"Q-TIP! Hey!" the boy replied, his dark brown eyes widening with surprise.

"It's good to see you too; listen, I'm in need of some information on someone. Do you think you can get it for me, Darren?"

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"If it's anything worth knowing, a shuttle-man would know it… Who's the bloke you're asking about?" Darren replied as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"His name is Joshua C. Muller."

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"MULLER?" Darren replied, jumping from his seat, _"What do you want to know about him for?" _Darren choked.

"Why do you ask? Is there something going on with him?" Quatre asked.

__

"You better believe there is! Spider and Nightshade picked up on it and were going to call into Preventer first thing tomorrow and--"

"I'm sorry to cut you off but we're in a hurry. What's going on Darren?"

__

"Right, right, sorry about that. Turns out he's been out to get total control of dome three; word has somehow gotten out to him by someone in our Mars-division that there is an alloy mine just a few miles below the surface that's got the makings of a metal stronger then your ruddy Gundanium!" Darren replied, leaning in closer to the screen, as if to keep others from over-hearing them. Darren, who looked to be nothing more then your average space cargo-shipper, known to many as "Shuttlers", was part of an intricate network of men and women who, instead of living on the colonies or the Earth, lived on the other plants of the solar system and each of these plants had what they called "divisions" who acted as sub-workers for Preventer, providing them with the latest in space-combat weaponry and the various, top-notch, land-force artillery known to date. Along with being the root of the Preventers' military strength; they also acted as extra ears for the general public in case Preventer ever gets out of line in it's "protect and serve all" approach.

"Stronger then Gundanium?" Quatre gasped.

__

"I didn't stutter. Yes, even stronger then that. Word has it that his plan was to get Peacecraft all doped up so that she would listen to everything he told her, what with her being the one in pretty-much total control over what all happens to the domes what with them being her babies and all… anyway, the plan backfired when he realized that it would take more then just doping her up until he got what he wanted; he'd still have to keep her alive and working, otherwise people would start asking questions, if you know what I mean, and that's not even the best part; Joshua got word of what the Titan's were going to do and told Earth, that's partly why Preventer Wind and Fire were down on the plant when the dome was attacked; they were going to try and stop the Titan's from taking the colony before, they didn't know this part of course, Muller got to it."

"But how is that possible? His father is one of the peace-promoting diplomats, in fact, he's one of the top-ranking pacifists within the whole government!" Quatre exclaimed.

__

"That don't mean jack shit in this world, Q-tip, you know that! I don't know why he's doing it, it may have nothing to do with his daddy at all, but then again you don't always have to be a pacifist to pretend to promote it. Take Peacecraft for example if you don't believe me."

"What do you mean?" Wufei asked as he pushed Quatre out of the way so that he could speak.

__

"Now just a minute here… Q-tip, who is geek?" Darren asked, making fun of Wufei wearing his thick-rimmed reading glasses.

"Oh, that's Wufei…" Quatre commented, chuckling when Wufei began to sputter angrily.

__

"I'll just leave it on your head that he's on the level… If you must know, people say that Relena isn't that much of a pacifist, sure she was one when she first started off, but… they say that after Marie-Maya she changed, she didn't seem all that into it anymore… not that I'm saying that she's pro-war or anything… just that she doesn't act like she completely anti-war either." Darren attempted to explain.

"Thanks for the help Darren, we have to tell Une this right away."

__

"Don't mention it. No, really, don't mention it; things have been odd around here lately and I'm starting to think that someone is talking to all the wrong people and I don't like it!" Darren said before abruptly hanging up.

"Wufei… I think we're in for big trouble…"

*****

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"What do you mean 'She's not going to be talking to you anymore'? Who are you to say such things, you little snot-nosed punk?"

"Just what it sounded like; I'm not going to repeat myself." Jessie replied on the other end of the line as Joshua slammed his fists onto his desk.

__

"That's what you think! I'll see you hanged before the month is out, McCall, just you wait and see!" he screamed before hanging up.

"He took that well." Relena commented dryly from her seat by the window; she had grown tired of laying in bed all day and refused to be calm until somebody had opened the window a bit to let the cool air brush past her face. It had been a strange request but, in the end, Heero had agreed to it; it wasn't long afterwards that Joshua had called requesting to speak to her. Relena, who wasn't in the mood for dealing with him just yet, suggested that Heero "Take care" of the man. Heero was only too glad to do it too.

"We haven't seen the last of him; he's not finished yet." Heero said, his voice betraying nothing, making Relena wish for the second time that day that she could come up with some way for her to be able to read him without her eyesight.

"I know…" Relena replied; her empty sight saddened by him relating the same thoughts back at her, more like an echo then a person.

"Relena…" Heero began as he walked over to her, a crutch under one of his arms to help support him. He stopped in front of her and stared down onto the top of her head.

"You really do look stupid with green hair Heero…" she said absentmindedly, chuckling slightly at the memory of what he last looked like.

"I know." He replied quickly; he was getting tired of the run-around already.

"And green eyes don't suit you at all…" she added.

"I know."

"You don't smile nearly enough and you try to act like a statue most of the time, but I care about you just the same." Relena finished with a warm smile that melted his heart slightly around it's icy edges though he never said anything in reply before the door opened and two different sets of feet walked into the room. 

One was slow and controlled, though it held a slight stomp to it, indicating that it's owner was slightly angered by something while the other set was soft and light with every step almost planed before it was ever made, though it's steps were quicker in comparison, a sign that it's owner's legs were shorter then the other persons.

"Hello Milliardo, Noin, it's nice of you to come and see me." Relena said, guessing exceptionally well on who the pair was.

"You look well, sister." Milliardo said as he took six of his long strides to make it over to her side while it took Noin nine of her own to keep up with him.

"I am." Relena replied as she allowed him to take her delicate, cold, hands into his warm, calloused, ones.

"That's good. Relena, how have you been holding up?" Noin asked as she placed an encouraging hand on her lover's shoulder.

"It's hard but I know I can manage."

"Heero, how have you been doing?" Noin asked, surprising the young man by what actually sounded like genuine concern for his well-being.

"I'll be out of here by the end of the week." Heero replied, recovering quickly from nearly dropping his protective mask.

"Good to hear it. Relena, the doctor said that, if you're up to it, you could start rehabilitation today if you want." Noin said, turning back to the wheat-blonde woman in the chair.

"I'd like that." Relena replied as she stood up and stumbled forward slowly; her arms outstretched to avoid from hitting anything, saying, "This almost like playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey!" as she landed on of her hands on her brother's well-toned chest.

"Take it easy sister; Noin and I will help you." Zechs said with an amused tone; glad that his little sister hadn't lost her spirit as well as her sight, as he took her by her good arm and Noin guided her by pressing gently in the younger woman's upper back, being careful not to jar the newly repaired shoulder blade, which was still tender from both the crash and the operation, as they headed out the door. 

Laughing at how silly the must have looked to the other people in the halls as they left; leaving Heero alone to think as he continued to stand numbly by the window, mindlessly watching the shadows under one of the trees below shift and change positions at time passed by.

"Heero?" Relena said as she walked into the room slowly, feeling along the walls as she went. 

Heero blinked, _'when had it suddenly become so dark outside?' _he thought as he turned to look at her. 

Relena just smiled, as if she knew that she had surprised him, saying in an excited tone, "Milliardo and Noin had to go home; visiting hours were over for today. I still want to practice but they, the doctors, won't let me; they think that I've worked too hard already today but I just can't go to sleep yet! I want to know that I can do it all on my own, without any help from anyone, when I get released."

If only she knew, if only she knew that her determination could make him smile like that, that her willingness to try was so powerful that he couldn't help but want to move the moon in the sky, all just for the sake of trying. Some emotions weren't so hard to grasp for retired Perfect-soldier; he held an endless amount of respect for the girl-turned-woman that stumbled around the room, falling once or twice, but always getting up again. He always knew that he felt something for her that was more then just friendship or comradely, but it had to be more then just love, there was more to it then that, he felt more then just the simple endless longing to hold her and telling sweet-nothings, more then just the thoughts of what-ifs. It was more like a soul's bond to another, a way of interchanging strengths without the aid of the other acting as a crutch to support the first. If it what was one could deem love then it would have to be a quiet form of it; the kind where one could just curl up with and hang on to, even when the other that felt it wasn't around. That was what Heero Yuy envisioned the kind of feelings he felt for her to be.

"Heero, May I…?" Relena's voice trailed off.

"What is it?"

"May I… may I feel your face?" she asked as she placed one of her hands on the cool glass of the window. How she knew he was still standing there, he wasn't sure.

"Okay."

"Can you guide me?" She asked as she raised her hand slowly, jerking it back slightly when it came into contact with his own before he took it and held it to his cheek. "You're face is a lot like Milliardo's" She said as she slowly traced her fingers along his jaw line, "You're jaw was broken once, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Three times." He replied, watching as she smiled at the feel of the rumbling his voice gave off as he spoke.

"You're nose too?" she asked as she felt the thickly healed bone on the bridge of his nose.

"I lost count." He replied, making her giggle.

"If I didn't know any better, which I do, I would have asked if you were accident-prone." she smiled, her eyes watering up as she felt minute scars in varying places along his hairline and the back of his neck, "What gave you these?" she asked as she felt a particularly nasty feeling one.

"Life."

"Why was it so hard for you? It's just not fair." she whimpered as she wrapped her good arm around his neck in a from of a hug, "I know I don't know must about your past but even that little bit that Doctor J. told me must have been so horrible for you." she said, whispering into his ear.

"I got used to it." he replied, unsure as to how to react to having someone give him what he would have considered a strangle-hold without causing any harm to them; usually, when he got an arm wrapped around his neck, it was for the intention of either holding him as a hostage or to keep him still long enough to kill him, in both cases he would normally just fling the person over his back, regardless of who he, or she, was. But, with Relena, he found himself fighting against his training, as he almost always did when it came to her and her well-being.

"You shouldn't have had to, Heero." she said as she released him and began running her fingers over his strong brows and forehead before moving to his eyes; which he closed in favor of allowing her to continue. "Have you ever cried before Heero?" she asked as she rubbed one eye and then the other as if wiping away tears that were unseen.

"No."

"Not even when you were little?"

"I can't remember back that far."

"Not even when you were little then," she mumbled sadly.

"You?" he asked, making her jerk her head up, more out of habit then anything.

"There were some times before I lived with the Dorlains, though, I can't really remember all of it; I was barely three when the Peacecrafts were murdered. Growing up, I would have nightmares about a burning mansion; Milliardo told me that it was our home when we were attacked, I didn't cry then much either, I guess." she explained, her eyes staring blankly into his own; her hand removed from his face and held protectively over her heart before she had to bring it up to her own to yawn.

"You're tired." Heero stated as he moved his way back over to his bed to sit down, placing his crutch where he could reach it with ease if he needed to.

"It's been a long day." Relena commented as she followed the wall over to her own and turning down the blankets with practiced ease, as if she was used to stumbling into bed late at night.

"It has."

"Good night Heero, sweet dreams." she said as she tucked herself in, hissing slightly when she rolled over on her wounded shoulder wrong in an attempt to get comfortable in the rock-hard hospital bed. Heero just propped himself up on his pillows slightly and traced the designs that the cracks in the ceiling, smiling amusingly when one of them turned out looking like ET before he, too, drifted off to sleep.

*****

__

All of the mission's parameters were set and they were none-the-wiser to his schemes as he ran swiftly from the manufacturing base on L1, hopping over the seven-foot tall fence like it a twig and he, himself, was a jackrabbit. What would Odin have said if he had seen THAT feat of prowess? The old man might have been killed but HE wasn't about to go down anytime soon. 

Running down the hillside he allowed himself the pleasure of doing a childish tumbling roll onto the sweet-smelling grass. In just a few hours that base would be, quite literally, up in smoke. He laughed at the vary thought of how the Alliance would react to the discovery that their number one mobile suit factory was blown to smithereens.

"Hi there!" a little girl giggled; she couldn't have been much older then five, as she peered over him, blocking out his view of the colony. Absentmindedly, he wondered about how strange it was to have no sky; with the wheel shape of the colony, when one looked up, they saw the other side of town. It was somewhat disorienting in a way.

"Are you lost?" the girl asked, knocking him out of his thoughts.

"Hum?" He said, turning to look at her as she kneeled down beside him, her shiny red hair still visible under her large white hat.

"I said: Are you lost?" she repeated.

"I've been lost ever since the day I was born." He said as he redirected his sight to a blade of grass next to one of his hands.

"Oh… that's so sad. Well, I'm not lost at all! I'm taking Mary out for a walk!" she said, laughing as the puppy that was sitting next to her whimpered and licked her face before she stood up and held out a small yellow daisy in her chubby little fist, saying, "Here, I'll give you this flower-- Hey, Mary! Wait for me!" Her dog had pulled its leash out of her other hand before she could explain why.

He sat and stared at that flower in his hand for hours on end, almost as if, if he looked at it hard enough, all of the secrets of the universe would be given to him. How strange that most full grown adults were afraid of him and yet this little girl had walked up to him and attempted to make friends. It was all so vary confusing!

Later that night, he stood just outside the fence with the detonator held up in front of his face by his right hand; in his left he still carried the flower.

"Mission complete." he said before pressing the button on the end of it with his thumb. The base was broken apart, piece by horrible piece; caused by the two-second delay made by the bombs set to go off at different times.

Turning to leave, he wasn't planning to wait around for the police to show up, he was about to go when a bomb went off dangerously close to his position. He didn't remember placing one on a mobile suit THAT near to the fence! They must have moved it during the day!

Swearing under his breath, he slammed the detonator onto the ground and taking off running; hoping against all hope that he could warn the people inside the apartment complex what was happening or, if he couldn't do that, maybe he could at least get some of them out before they were all killed by his lousy idea.

It was only fifty yards away, but he was still unable to make it in time and the only thing he could do was to shield himself from the blaze that was so hot that it hurt his eyes to look at it. Once the fuel was all used up, the fire only had the flammable materials left inside of the building to burn and it lost some of its original strength that it had before, allowing him to lower his arm and gaze in horror at what he had done.

He had searched the rubble along with some of the other residents of the colony, looking for survivors but he knew already that nobody could have lived through that; save for himself of course, but even that didn't cheer him up like it usually did.

They had managed to get the fire out relatively quickly so most of the things on the ground level were still intact, which must have been why he managed to find the bit of white curtain, the teddy bear, and Mary, the dog that belonged to the girl that had been one of the few people that had ever been unconditionally kind to him. She must have lived here, and died here too.

He made a shallow grave for the poor animal and placed the daisy on top of it before he let a single tear fall, remembering what his old friend had told him:

"Live by your emotions, kid, that's the only way to live a good life…"

Later that night, when he was in his cell pretending to be asleep, he overheard his trainer, Doctor J., and a man by the name of Dakim Barton talking in not-so-hushed tones.

"That's Ludicrous! Are you suggesting that we use the Gundam as a tool for a massacre?" 

"THIS IS WAR! It's no big deal about sacrificing the general public! Now re-train him at ONCE! The humane feeling of kindness is unnecessary for our weapon!"

"You're right there, but, do you really believe that Heero Yuy would be pleased if we buried his humanity?"

He slowly sat up in his bed and tiptoed to the thick steel door and peered out through the window as the two old men walked away. "What- what are they going to do to me?" He said softly to the air, his eyes shaking at the thought of some new from of torture that the two senile old men would have in store for him in the morning. How DOES one go about removing ones feelings of kindness? He had been through hell already for most of his life, and that never really got rid of it. So how do you do it?

He had set it in his mind from that point on that he would fake it; he was a good actor, he could pull it off easily enough, they wouldn't know the difference…

"No! Let go! Damn-it! Put me down!" he screamed as six of the biggest, burliest, men on their secret base picked him up and, quite literally, DRAGGED him into the Doctor's laboratory.

"No need to panic, it won't hurt… much. Put him into the tank." J said calmly, as if it were perfectly natural for one to rip someone's feelings out by the root.

"LET GO! Put me down now! I mean it!"

"Hold him steady!" 

"Somebody get the bloody door!" 

"I can't hold him!" 

"Damn this kid is strong!" 

"Couldn't we have done this BEFORE he gave him the strength enhancers?" 

"Calm down Lad! It'll be all over soon enough!" 

"Okay, on three… one… two… THREE!" "Ally-whoop!" 

"Yeah, sure kid! Keep splashing!" 

Laughing, laughing, laughing…

"No! Let me out of this thing! I'll do whatever you say, just let me out! Come on! Please! Somebody! Help!"

"Let's start it at twenty percent…"

"Yes Doctor J."

"NO! STOP IT! AHHHH!" 

The burns, the stings, scorching pain…

"Fifty percent!"

"Yes sir!"

"HELP! LET ME OUT, PLEASE, LET ME OUT!"

"Eighty."

"Right away doctor."

"…no… just stop… I won't do it again… I promise I won't…"

_______________________________________________________________________ Well, that didn't take long, sorry if it's late… I kind of lost track of time, I have the updated list of where the votes are standing at right now so feel free to vote if you want to see something different win.

Current Standings:

In first place: #7 with Fourteen votes.

Second place: #6 with Eight votes.

Third place: #1, #2 with Seven votes.

Fourth place: #4, #12, #13 with Six votes.

Fifth place: #8, #10 with Five votes.

Sixth Place: #9, #15, #14 with Four votes.

Seventh Place: #3 with Three votes.

Eighth Place: #5, #11 with Two votes.

And that's it! Thank you for reading so far and, until next time! BYES!


	7. Sighs and Whispers

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

For those of you who want to know, at the bottom of the main page on my website is an edited picture of Heero with Green hair and eyes if you want to see what he looks like. I'm telling you, it's a hoot!

And for those of you who are wondering why Heero wasn't admitting to the whole crying bit… well, lets just say that I don't think that he would be one to admit a weakness.

Anyways, on with the story!

****

Chapter seven

__

'What is that?' Relena thought as she sat up in her bed; she had been woken up to some strange noises within the room that she found hard to distinguish. It was almost like a cross between the squeaking sounds that a mouse would make with that of the mewling of a cat, only slightly more muffled. She furrowed her eyebrows as she concentrated on where it was coming from. "Heero…?" she whispered as she slid out from under the covers and onto the cold floor. Shivering slightly before she forced herself to focus on the noises once again, they were coming from the other bed.

"…No… just stop… I won't do it again… I promise I won't…" He seemed to whisper. 

Halting her movements towards him; thinking it was her that he was talking to, reached out slowly to feel for the edge of his bed, she barely managed to just graze her fingertips over it before she lost her balance; she had been leaning over too far, grabbing for anything that would catch her fall, she snagged the wires to the her unplugged heart monitor, taking the large piece of equipment along with her; the loud crash waking him up.

"What?" He gasped as he looked around the room wildly.

"Oh… ouch…" Relena muttered as she shifted the object off of herself, drawing his attention down to her form on the floor.

"What did you do?" He said harshly as he got out of the bed and began helping her up.

"Hello to you too Heero and, oh yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking." she said wryly as she steadied herself, "You were talking in your sleep and I wanted to see if you were alright." she explained.

He shook his head as he fought back the flashbacks from the dream that he had been having before he said, "It was nothing."

"If you say so… I couldn't really tell. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" she asked as she seated herself back onto her bed.

"Yeah." he replied as the light was switched on and Trowa walked in.

"Is everything alright in here? I heard a crash." He said as he eyed the monitor on the floor.

"Everything is fine, Trowa, I just had a bad dream and Heero woke me up; I must have been flailing around a bit because I must have knocked something down. I hope I didn't brake anything." Relena lied. 

Heero looked at her in wonder, _'why is she trying to cover up for me?'_ he thought.

Trowa walked over to the monitor and set it upright and checked it over before saying, "It still looks to be fine; just don't go knocking it over again." making Relena smile a bit.

"Sure thing. Goodnight Trowa."

"Night." he replied as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Don't stare at me like that; I have my reasons for everything, let's just leave it at that." Relena said as she curled back under her sheets. Heero widened his eyes a bit; he hadn't realized that he had been staring.

"What… why did…?"

"I care about you Heero, I've already told you that and I knew that the last thing you wanted Trowa to know is that you have nightmares… I can only guess what they are about but, if you don't want to talk about them to me, then I'm guessing that you don't want to talk about them to anyone. It's okay, I don't mind." She replied before motioning him to go back to sleep, which Heero did, but not before checking the clock above the door, which read: _two thirteen AM._ He had a long wait before morning would come and he had the feeling that he wasn't going to be getting anymore sleep that night, not if he could help it.

*****

"…I really don't see what's so funny about it, Wufei…" Quatre said sternly as they left Une's office.

"I didn't say that anything was, but, Q-tip?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just a nickname he gave me." Quatre sighed, _'This is going to be a pain, isn't it?'_ he thought as the rounded the corner going left to Wufei's dormitory room.

"Why did you get it?" Wufei asked, amused; he wasn't about to let Quatre off the hook without sharing.

"I got helped him and some of his other collogues find the location of a local brothel on L2 that I had gotten wind of from Duo; he had stumbled upon it one day when it suddenly started to rain when he was caught without an umbrella, and because of the "hot tip" that I had given them, Darren Q-tip, that and partly because it annoys me." Quatre explained.

"When do you think we'll get the orders to take Muller in?" Wufei said, changing the subject.

"I don't know, but it'll have to be soon; it looks like he has spies everywhere so, when we do move out, we'll have to be extremely careful that we don't tip them off." the blonde replied as they walked into the dorm room where he promptly wrinkled his nose up at the state of the mess it was in. Kicking one of Wufei's dirty sweatshirts out of the middle of the room he said, "How can to stand living in here?"

"I don't have time to clean." Wufei replied as he opened the small refrigerator and revealed the mildewed walls inside it.

"Ewww…"

Wufei just shrugged as he pulled out a can of soda and took a swig before he replied, saying, "If you don't like it, you can clean it. You want anything?"

"I'll think I'll pass, thanks." Quatre said, still somehow remembering his manners within the slop.

"Suit yourself." Wufei replied coolly before having to set his drink down as another fellow Preventer stormed into his room.

"Preventer Five! We're moving out!" the wide-eyed, newly graduated, soldier cried before leading them to the parking garage where they were already loading up into two, hunter green, vans with the Preventer Logo on the sides.

"So soon; isn't this a bit sudden? I mean Une couldn't have THAT much evidence against him already, could she?" Quatre asked as he and Wufei scrambled in with the other men before being whisked off to apprehend one Joshua Muller.

"She must have, though, I agree, it's too soon to be striking." Wufei replied as he checked the ammo in his pistol.

"Do you think that he's already on the move, Sir?" one of the older soldiers asked.

"He has to be, otherwise I don't think that we would be on the move yet either." Quatre replied, his face solemn as he stared out the back window, thinking, _'I only hope that he's not waiting for us when we get that far…'_

If Joshua Muller knew what was coming, he didn't make any indication when they surrounded his home while Quatre and Wufei personally escorted him outside and into their holding car in an operation that seemed to be completed in record time. Even when shown the evidence against him, though, he refused to answer any questions without speaking with his lawyer. Une was not pleased but, after five hours of receiving the same response, she finally agreed to his demands.

*****

__

"Joshua Muller was arrested today by Preventer, under the charges of conspiracy and attempting to assassinate a Peace Delegate. While both Preventer Earth and Mr. Muller refuse to comment at this time, Mr. Flatwik, Joshua's lawyer, had this to say…" the News caster said as the scene cut to that of a chubby man with an oily, pug-like, face as he said, _"All I know is that my Client has been wrongfully acc--"_ Heero had hit the power button on the remote control, shutting the TV off.

"I was listening to that." Relena said as she crossed her arms, sourly, as she tapped her foot on the floor next to the window where she went to sit after she had woken up that morning.

"And now you aren't."

"That would be a vary accurate assumption, Heero. Would you please turn it back on?" Relena asked sparsely; her painkillers were wearing off.

"You will be hearing more then enough of it as soon as you get checked out." Heero replied calmly, he was almost wishing that the doctors hadn't denied giving her another dose. She was, no doubt, in a lot of pain by now.

"I want to be well informed, Heero, for when I do get out of here; if I'm not the press will, knowing my luck, eat me alive when they get their chance. I have to be ready for everything." Relena said as she stood up and, by pressing her hand to the wall, walked over to his bed and sat down at the foot of it; staring blankly up at him, she felt his muscles tighten slightly in reaction. _'So,'_ she thought, _'There is another way to tell what he's thinking after all.'_

He said nothing, as he turned over on his side, fighting the urge not the wince when he jarred the wound in the side of his chest, in an attempt to avoid the topic.

Relena's eyes narrowed slightly and began to waver back and forth, as if searching for something that they couldn't see, as she reached one delicate hand out and placed it on his lower leg as she said, "It doesn't matter if you hide it from me or not, I can still tell when you're hurting Heero, I've always known."

Heero lifted his head and twisted it to look over his shoulder at her; her head was bent forward, as if attempting to hide her eyes from him.

"You don't like seeing them, do you?" Relena asked suddenly.

"Seeing what?"

"My eyes; you cringe every time I feel you looking at me, at them. They're hideous, aren't they? That's why you don't like seeing them, isn't it? Don't worry, as soon as I get out of here I'll buy some dark sunglasses and you won't have to be afraid to look at them anymore." she said in a rush as she stood up and stumbled her way into the bathroom, mumbling an "Excuse me." as she went.

__

'That's not true. I just don't like seeing them so blank.' Heero thought as he stared at the window that looked in from the hallway outside the door. Absentmindedly he noted that Duo was standing guard while Hilde and Dorothy conversed with him along with Mrs. Jones and Pagan. _'They're still worried?' _ He thought as he read their lips.

Hilde's lips began to move and Heero quickly took a guess at what she had said: _"I think that she will get better; she has too!"_

__

"There is no way for her brain to repair itself like that." Heero read Dorothy's reply.

__

"But, didn't doctor Po say that…" Heero couldn't make out the words _"…could at least give her a form of sight?"_ Mrs. Jones said.

__

"Yeah, but you forget that…" There was that same word again _"…needs another person to act as a partner, remember?" _ Duo said, his hands moving about, as if he was trying to brush the idea away. Heero's curiosity was piqued as he continued to watch them.

__

"Thank you Mr. Random Access Memory. I knew that!" Hilde seemed to snap.

__

"Still, I think it should be Miss Relena's choice. I don't think that finding a volunteer would be so difficult; who wouldn't want to help Miss Relena?" Pagan asked.

__

"…How about the people who did this to her?" Duo muttered before a crash was heard from within the bathroom and everyone rushed inside the room to see what had happened.

"Miss Dorlain? You alright in here?" Mrs. Jones called as she walked into the bathroom where she found Relena on the floor, picking up some broken bottles of perfume that she had accidentally knocked down.

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm just being very clumsy today it seems…" Relena replied, using dry humor to cover up the silent scolding that she was giving herself for knocking the whole tray over when she was feeling around for the knob for the hot water.

"Here, let me to do--"

"No, I want to do it on my-- ouch!" Relena said, trying to cut Elena off, not fully paying attention and slapping her hand down onto a small bit of glass. A thin trickle of blood slid its way down her arm.

"Oh dear… Pagan! Call in the nurse!" Mrs. Jones said, as she found a towel and quickly applied pressure to the wound.

Heero, meanwhile, had managed to get off of his own bed without any help and had limped his way over on his crutches to see what had happened as Pagan turned and left.

"Hey, buddy, you should still be in bed resting; it'll only take longer for you to heal if to keep straining yourself." Duo said as he tried to guide his friend back to the hard hospital bed. Relena snapped her head up at that and instantly felt ashamed for getting herself hurt again and alarming Heero enough for him to leave his bed where he needed to be if he wanted to recover.

"What's happened?" Doctor Conner had said as she and Sally Po ran into the room in a blind panic.

"Nothing much, Relena just got a bit of glass in her hand that's all." Duo replied casually.

"Relena, are you okay?" Hilde asked, concerned.

"I'm just fine. It's a little cut, that's all." Relena said as she stood up, removing her hand from Elena's as she took the towel in her other to apply the pressure on her own; she made it a point the grind her thumb into the wound as much as she could to remind herself not to be so foolish again. 

"Why don't you let us be the judge of that?" Sally joked as she helped Relena out of the bathroom and back onto her bed where she and Doctor Conner looked her hand over.

"Well," Doctor Conner said once they had finished, "It doesn't look to be too bad and I don't think that you'll need stitches or anything like that, but I do think that you might have a small scar there in the future." 

"Thank you." Relena said, as she made sure to keep her eyelids closed; more for Heero's benefit then for her own, as they, along with the others, left the room. Heero scowled from his spot in the corner of the room, he had retreated there after he had fought Duo off; he had seen what she had done with her hand even, if the others did not, and he was fuming over it.

__

'How much do you want to die, Relena? How much? Is your life really that miserable?' Heero thought as she leaned back on her bed and appeared to be trying to rest. Heero, swinging himself skillfully step by step on his crutches, quickly crossed the room and made it over to her bed and watched as she attempted to be calming her breathing, a trick use to center one's self.

"Stop it." Relena said softly, shocking Heero out of his reverie.

"What?" He asked before he realized that she was talking in her sleep.

"Stop it." she repeated.

"Stop what?"

"Stop me from being in love with you…" she sighed as she snuggled deeper into her pillow.

"What?" He gasped as he thought, _'Is she talking about me? Or does she think I'm somebody else?'_

"I can't do this, not anymore. I tried, oh god I tried, but I can't stand it; I'm not that strong. Every time I'm around you another part of my heart brakes, because I know you don't feel the same way. Please, please, don't let me suffer in a one-sided romance. Let me stop being in love with you…" She cried, her voice in a sobbing whisper as she turned her head into her pillow; her breath still even, a sign that she was either very good at controlling her body in that manner, which Heero highly doubted, or she was still asleep. Heero, having nothing else he could think to say without betraying her trust in him, returned to his bed and went to sleep as well. In the back of his mind though, he couldn't help but wish that maybe, just maybe, it was him that she was talking about; that she loved him like that and it wasn't someone like Joshua that she called out to in her dreams.

*****

__

As if living the whole thing the first time wasn't enough, her mind seemed to think that it was a fun joke to play on her, showing her just how horrible she had been on that day. She was acting like an absolute bitch, she thought as her brain replayed the scene.

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! Joshua might not be perfect but he would never try to poison me!" She had screamed as she fought with the man that meant more to her then life itself. It was so vivid; she could still see the worry that flickered, waning slowly into the greenness of his contact-covered eyes.

"How can you be so sure, Relena, how? Tell me, how do you know for sure that he didn't just drug you so that you would fall into some scheme of his? One of Haber's side affects is the inability to think clearly. How can you be sure that he hasn't brainwashed you into believing him to be everything that you've said?" He demanded before she slapped him, making her hand sting. The pain from seeing his lack of belief in her was hurting far worse.

"How dare you accuse him of anything? You don't have any proof! He could merely be an innocent pawn in all of this and you're already condemning him for something that he may not have known about!" Relena seethed as she rubbed the slightly tingling flesh on the palm of her hand, glaring up at him angrily. With a shadow over her broken heart, she pretended that she didn't agree with him.

"Why aren't you listening?" Heero asked in a deathly quiet tone as he turned his head to slowly face her again, his cheek held a red palm print where she had struck him. "Can't you see that I'm trying you get you to at least think about your actions before you do something stupid?"

"Like what? Trust someone that I don't know? I think I already learned that with the drugging episode! Why don't you just go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of and stay there this time? I'm finally starting to get my life in order, I have a steady boyfriend, work is running smoothly, my brother and his wife are doing well in dome three… and, until five days ago, right when I start thinking that everything is going right in the world, the dome gets attacked, five of my coworkers, all of which I thought I knew well, are arrested and charged with being with the Titans, the ones responsible for the attack, and I end up not only assisting in their capture, I end up picking up their paperwork and find out that they had been at it for years! Years of dirty dealings and god-knows what else! Then you show up, after almost three years of having no contact with you, you appear in my bedroom and tell me that the man, that tells me that he loves me every day, is out to control and KILL ME! If you think that I haven't learned anything from this then you are sorely mistaken! I've learned that whenever things seem to be at their worst, you always show up to rub salt into the wound even more then it already has!" She ranted.

"Relena, I'm not--"

"Oh stuff it Heero!" she said as she pushed him away roughly and managing to make it into her closet and slam the door shut behind her in an effort to keep herself from crying in front of him.

"Relena? Relena! Open the door!" Heero's muffed voice said from the other side of the door as he twisted the knob, trying to get in. Relena sighed, thankful that she was able to get it locked in time; this was where she would usually hide when Joshua got in a fit and she always felt safe when she was in her closet for that reason.

"Just leave, Heero, leave and never come back!" she said, sounding surprisingly calm, considering that she was ruining her makeup, again.

"No. You can't stay in there forever Relena." came Heero's muffled, but still very clear, reply from the other side of the door.

"Do you want to bet on that?" Relena challenged.

"Seeing as you are in a closet, yes, I would bet on it." Heero sighed, his voice sounding frustrated even to her ears.

"I don't care! I don't want to see you ever again!" Relena called back, not fully realizing what those words would mean.

"Relena you aren't making things easy for me!"

"TOUGH!"

"Relena, fine, if this is what you want then fine, you can stay in there all you want; I'm not leaving until we talk." he said before she heard him walk away from the door and, judging by the slight squeaking sound that she recognized as her bed, he had made himself comfortable to wait her out. She began screaming and ripping her wardrobe into shreds, wanting to do something, anything, to vent. It wasn't until she had woken up in her bed later that she realized that she had passed out from the stress.

"But, but why?" she asked when she opened her eyes to see him stooping over a trash bag, tying it shut.

"You didn't mean it." he had replied as soon as he was finished.

"You don't know that… for all you know I could have meant every word of what I said," she murmured, turning her face so as to hide it in her pillow.

"You're right." He replied, making her gasp, he had somehow crossed the room and was at the head of her bed without her knowing, and look up at him with watery eyes, "But I think you know differently." he added.

"I don't know what to think anymore, I honestly don't, I don't even know what got into me… well, actually I do know what got into me, but that's not what I mean what I mean… what I mean to say is, I didn't know what was going on with me until was too late… I can't do this alone anymore, truth be told, I never could to begin with; that's why I started seeing Joshua to begin with. That was always what it was about in a way, I needed someone to be there, someone who would help me… just goes to show how poor a judge of character I am!" She explained, "He has a violent temper you know, when he doesn't like what he hears, I thought that all he needed was someone to care, someone to love him unconditionally, like the way that I am with--" She said, shaking her head, forbidding herself to utter the last thought within her head, 'You, Heero, you.'

*****

It took her a moment before she realized that she wasn't still in her dream; that she wasn't just laying in a black void that was meant to represent something she couldn't quite grasp. She was lying in the hospital's unforgiving, starch-white, bed with her eyes, undoubtedly, blinking, unseeing, up at the ceiling. "Why…?" she asked the blackness, "Why did I put us through that? Why did I do this to us?" she paused to listen to Heero's steady breathing from the bed next to her as her harsh words came back to haunt her.

__

"I don't want to see you ever again!" 

"…Be careful of what you wish for… now if only the wishes that I wanted to come true would…" she whispered, thinking, _'Heero…' _as she allowed a tear to roll down her face before sitting up and wiping it away; she wasn't going to cry with Trowa, or anyone, watching.

"It's nice to know that you still hold some feelings for him." Trowa's voice said suddenly as he moved from his place by the door. Relena only adjusted the thin sheets over her waist and legs, picking at imaginary lint.

"You can't tell him, you have to promise me Trowa. If you are my friend, you won't say a word about it to him! I couldn't stand for my heart to be broken again." She pleaded softly as she kept her eyes closed, not wanting to make him nervous around her as well.

"And if he finds out by someone else?"

"Then I'll just simply wither away into nothing, oh wait, too late, it's already happened." Relena replied cynically.

"You don't give yourself enough credit." Trowa said, earning him a curious look from the young woman in the bed.

"I'd rather not talk about it…" she sad as she rested her head back onto the pillow.

"That's a pity." Trowa commented dryly.

"Huh?"

"You could still do so much more, if you were willing to try." Trowa answered her puzzled voice.

"Not without running the risk of being fooled. I can't trust anybody with the truth when it involves the peace. I can't just have someone read documents for me, not without worrying about them lying to me. Any number of things could happen." Relena replied.

"You're afraid." Trowa stated.

"Yes, I'm afraid, I have every right to be too! I can't and won't do that to my people! I won't set them up for a downfall. I'd kill myself first." Relena said firmly.

"I'm sure you would, but, don't you think that he would miss you?" Trowa said, unknown to her, he motioned towards Heero's sleeping form in the other bed.

"Which 'He' are we talking about? I have many 'he's in my life that might cry for me." Relena replied offhandedly.

"Heero." Trowa replied, not missing the sharp intake of breath from both Relena and Heero. Trowa smirked, _'So, he's not as sound asleep he pretended to be.'_

Relena turned her face to the cool night air that flowed through the open window, removing the soft heat from her cheeks as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Trowa narrowed his eyes, cursing her stubborn streak and the politician's ability to lie with a straight face, _'she is not making this as easy as we had hoped.' _He thought. "I think you do," he said, quickly covering the sharp snap in his voice with that of his cool tone.

"Think what you want. I don't care." She replied tartly. Trowa's tactics didn't fool her in the least.

"I wonder what your brother would say to that…" Trowa commented, purposely letting his words trail off.

"He would tell me that I should start caring and think about how others would feel if I let something happen to me." Relena replied; she had already gotten that lecture from Milliardo a few months ago.

"You don't want to scare him off." Trowa said, his voice seeming to taunt her.

"No… I don't. He can't ever find out how I feel, why can't you understand that? It's wrong of me to wish for something more, but, it's like… when I'm near him, I want to do nothing more then to just hold him and tell him to let go. But, if I were to do that, if I were to give myself away, he would run from me again, I know he would." Relena explained.

"You still care for him like that?" Trowa asked as he walked closer to her bedside.

"That and so much more I'm afraid. I really am a love-sick little fool, aren't I? To be paining after a man who wouldn't know what love was if it snuck up behind him and kicked him in the butt," Relena paused to sigh, "But isn't that the way it always goes? Unrequited love can be so powerful that it could eat you alive and, yet, you still ache for more of it, more of the pain that comes from loving one-sidedly. No matter how little the other person may feel for you." she said, wringing her hands pitifully.

"You never know, he just might feel the same way but doesn't know it yet." Trowa said as he turned to walk out the door.

"Trowa…"

"He may surprise you someday, just remember that."

"But--"

"If it is one thing that I have come to know about Heero Yuy it's that he'll always surprise you with doing the impossible." Trowa finished as he gently closed the door, content that he had done his part in his best friend's, Quatre's, scheme.

"But that's the thing Trowa," Relena said to the darkness, "letting himself be loved and learning to love back… it isn't impossible."

________________________________________________________________________ Thank you all for the reviews once again. I'm sorry if this is horribly late, I've been really busy this week!

I have a shout-out for you all: Check out Penybright on FF.net, she's back for spring-brake and she's updated her not-yet-famous Escaflowne/Gundam Wing fic. This was the story that's inspiring me to write my own so, please, give her a look and let her know that I said hi!

Now, as for the current standings for the voting, we have as follows:

In first place: #7 with Sixteen votes.

Second place: #6 with Nine votes.

Third place: #1, #2, #12 with Eight votes.

Fourth place: #4, #8, #13 with Seven votes.

Fifth place: #10 with Six votes.

Sixth Place: #9, #15, #14 with Five votes.

Seventh Place: #3 with Four votes.

Eighth Place: #5, #11 with Three votes.

Thank you all again, for those of you who voted, and I hope to see more votes soon as this story starts slowing down.

Take care everyone!

~Prinder


	8. I'd do anything to make him happy

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing. Minor Other-character usage.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Chapter eight

"I don't think you understand just how much evidence we have against you, Mr. Muller." Une said through thinly pressed lips and narrowed eyes; she was determined to see him rotting in jail if it was the last thing she did.

"I don't see how you could, Preventer Earth, I'm as innocent as a newborn, in the most literal way, might I add." Joshua replied as he leaned back in his chair coolly, sure that if he played cool, he would walk away from this yet.

"Is that so? Well then, what if I were to tell you that we have three people who can testify to your malicious deeds, what would you say then?" Une smirked; she had him right where she wanted him. Trapped.

"I would ask how much you paid them to lie under oath." Joshua replied calmly, his eyes closed to add to his relaxed indifference. What he didn't realize was at that moment, the three in question had opened the door and were now standing within its framing.

"Ha! That's funny, I could ask you the same thing…" The shortest of the three said, her eyes were the only things that could be seen from her silhouette, glowing an unusual honey yellow.

"This is no time for jokes… I think he's afraid of us, what do you think, Bullet?" The second tallest said, though she too was too highlighted by the bright lights behind them to be seen completely, she appeared to be of Chinese dissent, though her speech carried none of the accent.

"He should be; I think he knows who we are. Don't you think so, Spider?" The tallest, called Bullet, asked. His lanky frame sported long, powerful, legs that looked to be skilled in speediness.

"I think a lot of things," Answered the smallest, "What I want to know is what he plans to do now that he knows that we're gonna rat-out on him?"

"I would assume that he had the intelligence to--" the Chinese-looking figure began to say.

"Enough! I will not have my hand forced by the likes of you!" Joshua barked, cutting the woman off.

"Who said anything about forcing your hand, Muller? We were just here to pay you our last respects." Bullet said.

"Yeah, seeing as, once we're done with you, you're as good as dead!" Spider added as the three turned and closed the door behind them.

"WAIT!" Joshua called but it was too late, they were gone.

"I'll take it that you're ready to talk?" Une asked, her eyebrow rose tauntingly.

"…I'll talk…"

"I thought that you would see things our way…"

*****

The week had passed so quickly, Relena was left wondering where all the time had gone. Sitting by the window she listened to her brother pack her things for her after he had insisted that he do it for her, Relena just shook her head in silent amusement, he was still the same brother that she remembered. It wasn't until Heero began walking across the room without the aid of his crutches, he had been determined to leave the hospital without them so much so that he had been bent on not letting on how much it hurt his left leg to move. Relena frowned when she could hear by the sound of his footsteps that he favored the leg.

"Relena!" Milliardo called, making Relena jump slightly with surprise; she hadn't noticed that he was speaking to her.

"Yes Brother?"

"I asked you a question, didn't you hear me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have been daydreaming, what was it that you asked me?" 

"I was asking if you were ready to go or not." Milliardo replied with a sigh as he glanced at Heero, who appeared to be in deep thought as he watched Milliardo's sister. Milliardo glared at the younger man and Heero turned his attention to his own things, walking stiffly back to his bed.

"Of course I am. Let me just grab my walking stick." Relena replied as she stood up and reached clumsily for the long straight, white in color, Milliardo noted, cane before walking slowly over to her brother, the cane swinging slightly back and forth as she walked, yet never actually touching the ground, it hovered mere centimeters above the floor.

"Hey Princess! Oh wow, you're really getting good at that, aren't you?" Came the sound of Duo's voice as he bounded in from the halls.

"Hello Duo. Yes, I've had some wonderful instructors." Relena replied cheerfully as she came to a stop and pulled the stick in closer to her feet, so as not to create a tripping hazard.

"Really? That's cool. So Heero! Are you just about ready to go? I've got Hilde driving around the parking lot so that she can be right up front when we come out." Duo said, unknowingly make Relena feel a little bit sad that he had ended his conversation with her so soon. Heero didn't fail to notice the expression on her Sunglass-clad face.

"Yeah." Heero replied, albeit hesitantly, as he swung his duffle bag over his shoulder, taking great care to hide the limp that his leg oh-so-desperately wanted to make. Duo, who knew Heero better then Zechs, wasn't so easily fooled.

As if to show Heero that he knew, Duo purposely stepped on the foot of Heero's still tender leg as they left the hospital.

"Quatre will be staying along with you at Relena's estate until he has to get back to his colony in the L4 cluster." Duo commented as they drove off.

"It's good to see that you're alright." Quatre would exclaim once they had arrived, hugging Relena and Heero in turn and relishing in the matching looks of discomfort from them both.

"Yes, thank you. How are you Quatre?" Relena said tactfully, recovering faster then Heero could.

"I'm well; I've been more worried for you two then anything else lately." Quatre replied.

"I'm sorry, we tried to do everything that we could but there is no changing fate, it seems." Relena commented as they entered her home; how she missed it! It seemed like forever ago since she was last walking within its echoing white marble halls. She was greeted by a group hug from her Mother, Mrs. Jones, and Pagan as she walked into the living room and, though she enjoyed the feel of her loved ones so close to her, she was finding it hard to breath with her face pressed into her mother's chest. "Mum…pud you plse mlet me go?" came Relena's muffled request.

"Oh I'm sorry dear, is that better?" Amanda questioned once she had pulled Relena away from herself a bit. Relena looked a little flustered, but other then the slight red tinge on her cheeks, she seemed no worse for wear.

"Much. Oh Mom! I've missed you, all of you. Pagan, please tell me that Elena hasn't been worrying too much?" Relena said with a watery smile.

"Now wait a minute, I'm right here Miss Dorlain!" Mrs. Jones quipped.

"I wish she had, she has been such a trooper." Pagan replied with a chuckle.

"Mr. Jessie! What do you think you're doing? Get over here right now, I want at least a greeting from the likes of you!" Mrs. Jones ordered Heero ruefully, shaking her finger sternly all the while.

"Yeah, Jessie! You heard the lady! Get over there!" Duo joked while everyone else, with the exception of Heero who wore a scowl, laughed as he pushed Heero forward where Mrs. Jones gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Relena once again wished for her sight so that she could have seen the look on his face, which, judging by the hoots of laughter from the others was beyond words.

"And here I am without my camera." Zechs snickered before he, too, was pulled into group hug by Noin.

"Alright, alright, that's more then enough all of you." Amanda said, clapping her hands to get their attention, "We have many things yet to do today. Relena, dear, why don't I lead you up to your--"

"No, there isn't any need for you to. I can make it on my own." Relena said, cutting her adoptive mother off.

"Well, if your--"

"I'm sure, I'll be right back in a little bit." Relena answered before Amanda could finish as she picked up one of her bags and strode proudly over to the steps and out of sight.

"She's still so independent, she doesn't realize that she can't do it all on her own anymore." Amanda murmured.

"She never could do it on her own begin with." Mrs. Jones said, overhearing Mrs. Dorlain.

"I'll help her." Heero said suddenly, surprising everyone, including himself, by how quickly he had left the group and was running up the stairs, taking them two steps at a time, with Relena's other bag in hand as he journeyed to her room. Entering without bothering to knock.

"Somebody should teach you better manners." Relena said as she tucked her, now empty, bag under her bed.

"They didn't cover that in training." Heero said dryly as he handed her the other bag, forcing the shiver in his spine down when her fingertips brushed the back of his hand.

"Obviously not!" Relena quipped wryly as she set the luggage on her bed.

"Hn."

"Really, must you revert back to that? I have a hard enough time understanding you as is." Relena commented as she took her more personal "items" to the bathroom but, when she returned, Heero had already left. _'Oh Heero, why must you always do this to me…?'_ she thought sadly as she stood within the room that felt, somehow, chilled without his presence.

He didn't travel far, just until he was on the other side of her door; there he leaned up against the wall across from it, his head tilted back as far as it would go with his eyes closed and his hand over his heart. _'What's wrong with me?'_ he demanded to his inner-self as he gathered his wits.

"Hey, Heero, what's the matter, huh?" Duo asked softly, so as not to alert Relena to their presence outside her door, his hand tapping his shoulder lightly before Heero opened his eyes and jerked himself away.

"Nothing." He ground out as he folded his arms over his chest stubbornly, looking down the hall and away from Duo's inquiring gaze.

"Come on man, I need to talk to you in private." Duo said with a sigh as he led Heero into one of the other guest bedrooms.

"What is it?" Heero asked once the door was closed.

"Eh, and people call me the idiot…" Duo joked nervously, "You're blinder then Relena."

"Get to the point!" Heero snapped, obviously not appreciating that comment very much.

"That's just it right there…You are so crazy over her it's amazing that you haven't figured it out by now. Too bad you won't believe me until it's too late." Duo muttered before turning around to go, "The others are going to be having tea and a light lunch in a few minutes. Come down when you're ready." he added as he left the room. 

__

'Crazy over her? Not likely.' Heero thought with a snort as he left the room just as Relena was on her way down the steps, without the aid of her walking stick, he subconsciously noted as she felt her way down, one of her hands pressed firmly onto the wall with her other gripping the railing tightly on the other side as she went. He barely managed to slink his arm around her waist in time as she stepped too far out and missed the third step down on the stairs, which consisted of twenty-two of them from where she stood.

"Oh god, thank you He-- I mean-- Jessie." Relena sighed once she had managed to compose herself, a difficult task when she could feel the warm air from his mouth fanning the back of her neck with every breath that he took, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"Forget it." he replied in his deep, husky, tone as he pulled her back into his chest before he maneuvered around to the front of her before helping her down the rest of the way. He did not miss the shaking her limbs and wondered if she was cold once they had reached the bottom.

"But of course, we can't have anyone thinking that you're a nice person now, now can we?" Relena snapped as he released her and she strolled into the breakfast room where the others greeted her warmly before being led into an empty chair. Heero stood just out of sight on the other side of the door, watching as she forced her smiles and pretended to drink her tea, which, Heero remembered, she had become slightly wary after the time sleeping pills were slipped into her cup, during her last kidnapping.

Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Heero slipped off into the shadows of the rest of the estate, though, hardly undetected by one, wheat-blonde young woman who, unknowingly, turned her blind eyes at where he once stood; this didn't last long, as she was distracted by her older brother who had lost his balance, he was leaning back in his chair as he listened to the others, and landed on the floor, back first, looking up at wildly laughing face of Noin before hearing the others join in.

Absentmindedly, Relena smiled as she thought, _'It's so good to be back home again…'_

*****

CLACK, CLACK, TAP, TAP, TAP, CLACK…

For some reason his hands didn't want to cooperate when his mind told them to be gentle on his laptop's keyboard. He was angry, that much he understood, but he couldn't quite comprehend why, though. _'It isn't like she hasn't been giving me the cold shoulder all day anyway.'_ He thought, _'Is that it then?'_ he asked himself, _'is that what's bothering you?'_ Heero scoffed; there was just no way that he would get upset about a little thing like that. By all rights he shouldn't even be caring about how she used to treat him. 

"But, if it's not that, then what is it?" Hilde said as she walked into his room; he apparently said that out loud. Heero turned around in his chair to face her.

"It's none of your business." He said in his usual monotone.

"Did I ever say that it was? Maybe you should try talking to Relena about it… not that I'm saying that you let her know whom it is that you're talking about, but I really think that if anyone can give you some insight, it would be her. Think about it at least, okay Heero?" Hilde explained before moving out of the doorway and heading back downstairs, saying as she went, "The others and I are going to go shopping. Relena didn't want to come so now would be a good time to talk to her if any."

Heero reached up for the top of his laptop's screen before slapping it shut loudly. Why did it seem like everyone was trying to set them up with each other? Heero might have been dense when it came to some forms of emotion, be he was not a fool. He knew EXACTLY what they were all trying to do. 

And the sad thing is, is that it's working.

*****

"Candice, hello! How are you?" Relena said, speaking one of her old classmates on the videophone.

__

"Hello Miss Relena. I'm doing well, still the same old swinging single, but I'm doing okay. What about you? I heard about what happened, I'm so sorry." the short-haired blonde with her misty green eyes was never fully forgotten by Relena, Candice had been the school's play-boy-bunny since before she had even turned thirteen and always gotten all of the cute men there; so beautiful was she that she, quite literally, put Relena's modest looks to shame. Outwardly, Relena held a respect for the prettier girl, but inside, she was always secretly jealous of all of the attention Candice always got from the men while she, plain average Relena, was always blatantly ignored by them, for the most part, with exception of Tommy Young, who only spoke with Relena because he was really after Candice. It was always so funny how school wasn't that much different from politics.

"I'm alright, I am… It will take some getting used to but I can handle it." Relena replied, grateful that she still held the upper hand with Candice when it came to wits and mental strength.

__

"Gee, Relena, you've always been so confident. If it had happened to me, I don't know what I would have done."

__

'Oh gee, thanks a lot…' Relena thought wryly, silently noting Heero's cat-like steps as he slinked into the room. _'If I can't make him happy, I'll find someone who will…'_ she vowed to herself before replying, "You would have managed just fine I'm sure. You underestimate yourself Candice."

__

"Maybe…Hey, Relena, who's--"

"Don't worry, I know he's there. Come on over Jessie!" Relena said, knowing that, if Candice had seen him, he wanted to say something. "Candice, this is my bodyguard, Jessie McCall, Jessie, this is Candice Forester, she used to go to school with me." Relena said when she heard him sit down next to her.

"It's a pleasure." He said, nodding to the woman on the video screen.

__

"Charmed… Have I met you before, Mr. Jessie? You seem strangely familiar to--"

"I don't think so, he grew up in the L1 cluster, Candice." Relena interrupted.

__

"Oh… I must be mistaken then. What is it like up there, Mr. Jessie? I've never traveled into space before." Candice said in a slightly flirtatious tone, quickly forgetting that Relena was also on the other end, her eyes already set on claiming Jessie for herself.

"It's okay." Heero replied, half wondering why Relena had called him over for this and half wondering why Miss Forester seemed to think that he was interested in actually speaking to her.

__

"Oh, the shy type I see, and handsome to boot. How long have you been working for Miss Relena?"

"Long enough."

__

"I see… Hey, Relena?"

"Yes?" Relena asked, somewhat surprised that Candice remembered that she was still in the room.

__

"Please tell me that you are going to be going to the annual school get-together ball this year? You didn't come last time and I've missed seeing you." Candice asked.

__

'Very slick Candice, if I go you know what Heero would have to come along with…' Relena thought before saying, "Yes, I was actually planning to but, as you can see, I'm really not that fit for dancing just yet."

__

"Oh come on! Please! Tommy will be there! And speaking of which; do you remember the time that Tommy and that new kid, Yuy I think his name was; my gods was that boy hot… anyway, remember when he stood up for you when Yuy ripped up your invitation? It was amazing how strong Heero was! He snapped his sword right in half with that last thrust!"

If only Candice had known that the boy in question was sitting right next to Relena at the moment. What Relena wouldn't have given to see the look on Candice's face, that is, if she wasn't trying to set the two of them up. Heero had already guessed that was what she was up to by now and he wasn't amused. Apparently he looked like someone who needed to get a good lay.

"Yes, I remember."

__

"What ever did happen to him anyways?"

"I think he changed schools."

__

"Oh I know THAT!" Candice said with a roll of her eyes, _"What I mean is, what happened to him after that. I know you went to check up on him at his new school but soon I lost track of you after that so I don't know. What happened anyway? You guys really didn't hit it off well, what with the way he acted to getting your invitation and all, what was that relationship about anyways? Did you use to be friends with him or something?"_

"Actually I--"

__

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe we just did that! Jessie! I'm so, so, sorry! We completely ignored you!" Candice said, cutting Relena off.

"Don't worry about it."

__

"Oh please forgive us! We just got so wrapped up in the past that's all, please?"

"Look Candice, we've got to go, I have a meeting to head to here so. I'll talk to you later!" Relena said, reaching for the disconnect.

__

"But--"

The signal was cut and Relena let out a sign before saying, in a wry tone, "Well, that went well."

"You don't have any meetings." Heero stated.

"Yeah, so? Your point being? Do you mean that you actually wanted to talk with her some more? I could always call her--"

"No." Heero said firmly.

"Well, alright." Relena said, mentally sighing in relief; she had forgotten what it was like having to talk to Candice, there was just no way she could stand it if she and Heero had hit it off.

But still…

__

'I'd do anything to make him happy…'

________________________________________________________________________ 

Eep! Short chapter, I know, but you'll have to forgive me, I've been running all over the place lately… Long story, let's not get into it, shall we?

More wonderful people who have reviewed this fic, I'm so happy; my goal was to have twice as many reviews as I had gotten for "What if:Myth". With Forty-some-odd reviews to far, I think we've met that goal. Give yourselves a hand! You've earned it! *kisses all and gives everyone marshmellow peeps and a handshake*

It's that time again I think, I've listed the updated Voting list again and I have it for you below: 

1. I know this has already been done, but I think the person that was originally writing it stopped, and besides that, I plan to put a few new twists to if then she did, I'm thinking about going a Gundam wing/Escaflowne fic; it would have five parts to the full series, the first part would be totally Escaflowne (mostly about how Hitomi gets back to Gaea and about her and Van's son, Aden Folken de Kenzaki-Fanel, long name, I know, and how he got separated from them) "Aden! Aden, where are you?" "I'm over here mummy!". The second part would be Totally Gundam Wing (this part would be about how Heero discovers the hidden planet, a secret of Odin Lowe, Something that Dr.J left for him and eventually he gets taken to Gaea) "What's this? Cards…? That's what he left in his will for me?". The third would be about Heero wandering around on Gaea trying to figure some things out and ending up meeting Van and Hitomi and the things that happen because of it "Oh good! You're awake! I was starting to worry about you." "Relena?" "Nope! You're a good guesser though; my name is Celena". The fourth part is about Relena and the other G-guys trying to find him and somehow stumbling on the answers, and the way to Gaea themselves "How can you just stand there and not be worried about him? HOW? Heero could be lost laying in some cold damp street somewhere dying for all we know and you are all just standing there like it's no big deal!". The last is the conclusion "Oh my god! HEERO!" she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a great bid hug, "I was afraid that I would never see you again! I missed you so much…". {Eight votes here}

2. This one is completely original on my part and is an AU unlike any other, that I know of: Heero, a Bounty-hunter, gets lost in a forest while trying to track down the Infamous thief, Duo Maxwell, and finds himself having to camp inside of a cave with a peculiar stream water flowing within it, after testing it and finding it "safe" to drink, Heero has his fill of it, but, unknown to him, quenching his thirst comes at a high price. He wakes up the next morning in the body of a wolf and finds out that he can only be human if there is no sun OR moon out! And now he has either find a cure, learn how to survive as a being of the forests, or else. "Astor! Shepherd! …I hate it when they do this… You rotten dogs! Get back here!" "Well, well, look at what we have here boys… a pretty little lady lost and all alone. What do you say missy? Want old Joey and his friends to show you home?" the man snickered. "No! Let go of me! Somebody! Help, HELP!" {Eight votes here}

3. This one is very common, but I'm willing to try my hand at it: Heero loves Duo, but he also loves Relena; and the feelings are mutual from both of them. What is a guy to do? This would be my first attempt at a yoai fic if I decide to do it. "The thing is, should I even try to have something more then just friendship with either of them? I don't want one of them to think that they lost me to the other…so, what do I do?" {Four votes here}

4. Locked away in a mental institution isn't what she had envisioned what would have happened to Him, him being Heero Yuy, but now, after Relena as seen him locked in there with her own eyes, can she really say that he doesn't belong there? "Damn it, Relena, listen to me! I'm not-- let go of me-- I'm not crazy I tell you, I'm not!" {Seven for this one}

5. Looking down at the Scrap-yard, she couldn't help but feel more then just a touch of jealousy towards the black-haired blue-eyed ex-oz soldier, Hilde, but also knowing that she wasn't what he needed in his life; she kept her heart out of it, and started working on putting both the Deathscythe pilot and the girl together; even if it killed her. This would be my first Duo-and-Hilde fic. "Ugh! How hard could it possibly be for this MORON to pull his head out of his ASS long enough to see that this chick digs him? I can't believe this!" {Three votes here}

6. What if Triton Bloom was alive, and he wasn't Trowa? What would No-name do, and think, if he met Cathy's real brother? Would he feel replaced and out-matched compared to the real thing? A Non-romance fic, this is just about family. "You want me to share a room with him?" "Yes, Trowa, I want you guys to share a room. Don't look at me like that! It won't be so bad!" two days later: "HELP! CATHY! Trowa's lost it! I think he's gonna kill me! HELP!" {Nine votes for this one already}

7. Relena's guards love to work over-time, they never complain, they think they get paid too much for what little they claim to do, they're selfless, gentle, sweet, kind, caring, lovable...Are. You. Nuts? Felina, Jasmine, JinChi, Keanu, and Fiora are anything BUT that and now that the "great and all mighty non-perfect Heero Yuy" is around, they find themselves fighting to keep the jobs that they hate, all while trying to hook the lovebirds up! "Remind me again how it was that we got sweet-talked into this mess?" "If I do recall, it was you who suggested this outlandish idea, Fiora Eleri." "…Thanks for reminding me, why oh why did I want to do this?" "Because you're a hopeless romantic at heart?" "It's either that or she's crazy…" they all looked at each other for a moment before saying, "Crazy." {Sixteen votes for this one}

8. Milliardo hated action figures; they reminded him too much of his little sister's dolls, so, why he got the twelve-inch-tall Zero-One Gundam Pilot: Heero Yuy, "G.I. Joe-like" action-figure for his tenth birthday, he never knew. His sister, who had to stay at home because of the chickenpox, was enthralled when he offered to let her play with "it" whenever she wanted to. But, something is very strange happens when, suddenly, nine years latter, he comes to life! "Relena! We're home darling!" "Relena… are you feeling better?" "Not really, was your party fun?" "It was okay, here, you can play with this when you're lonely while I'm away at school, okay?" "Really? Your brand new toy? Thank you Milliardo!" {Seven votes for this one}

9. What if: Western (the sequel to What if: Myth) what happens when a "city slicker" schemes to buy out a whole town that stands on the world's biggest oil-well in history? The Keeper's of Mystic return to the lands of the living again, of course! But, how are they going to be able to reunite when they can't even remember whom they were? And, most importantly, who is who in the times of sharpshooters, outlaws, and "red-skins"? "I don't know who you are and, quite frankly, I just don't care. But, if you think that you're gonna get away without buying a ticket to ride this here train, you got another thing comin'!" {Five votes here}

10. It's been done a million times before, but never in a way like this: Gundam Wing Outtakes, these outtakes, unlike most others out there, are geared more toward the funny-serious style that I am known for. "BRIAN! Stop making goggle eyes!" in this 'series' I will be using the names of the American voice actors and be telling of their exploits all through the series as if they really were the Gundam Pilots and all of the other characters. "Piffff! Hahahaha! I'm sorry Cole, I couldn't help it!" My first attempt at pure humor. {Six Votes for this}

11. What if Relena never met Heero on that beach? What if she never found out that he was a Gundam Pilot? I'll be going back through the series and rewriting it to find out. What will the outcome be? Was meeting Heero Yuy a major part of her becoming the woman she is today? I hope to try and find out. "What kind of person is he?" {Three votes here}

12. The Shreens are beings from a distant plant outside of the earth's solar system who are a race of all women who survive by attacking other inhabited planets and stealing all of their men for the use of breeding and for slaves. And now, with Heero presumed dead, it's up to Relena to stop them before it's too late. "Don't you like my pet, Queen Relena? He has the most beautiful eyes, why don't you come closer my pet so that she can see you better hum…?" Shiva said as the large figure that sat by her chair moved into the light. Relena gasped, "Heero!". My first attempt at writing lemons but since FanFiction.net doesn't allow those anymore, I'll post the lemon parts to this fic (which aren't all THAT important to the plot) on my website (which is listed in my FF.net profile). {Eight votes for this one}

13. "In other news today: Relena Darlian was shot today at the peace-talks on L4, she was dead on the scene. Relena left behind her brother and sister-in-law and their two-year-old son, Zachary. Relena, if you can hear us up there, we will miss you…. And now for--" Heero turned off the TV and looked over at the cat that lay curled up on the sofa next to him; it was nursing it's single, lonely, kitten. "They didn't mention you, Indigo." the black cat ignored him, but her yellow and orange-striped kitten stopped her suckling to look up at him and mew before going back to her mother's teat. 'Something is very strange about that kitten…' Heero thought. Too bad that he didn't know how right he really was… 'Well that explains a lot.' the kitten thought as she continued to nurse, 'I died that day and then… I was, I was reborn then as, as Indigo's kitten… Poor Heero, I wish I could tell him…' {Eight votes here}

14. A request was made that I try to combine Story idea number Six and Seven together. I want to know if anyone else likes this idea. {Five vote here}

15. An epilog for What if:Myth {Five votes here}

Current Standings:

In first place: #7 with Sixteen votes.

Second place: #6 with Nine votes.

Third place: #1, #2, #12 with Eight votes.

Fourth place: #4, #8, #13 with Seven votes.

Fifth place: #10 with Six votes.

Sixth Place: #9, #15, #14 with Five votes.

Seventh Place: #3 with Four votes.

Eighth Place: #5, #11 with Three votes.

Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I know it's mostly mindless-dribble but it's important dribble nonetheless, okay?

THANK YOU ALL!


	9. Through his eyes

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Chapter nine

"Alright, how bad is it?" Relena asked her, strangely matched, friend, Dorothy as she turned around twice to show off the dress that she had put on.

"I just don't think it's the right color, Miss Relena." Dorothy replied as she tapped her pointer finger thoughtfully on her lower lip. 

"No, I like it Dorothy! The shape of it works on Relena. I would look like a toad if I wore something like that!" Hilde exclaimed from her position on Relena's window-seat in her bedroom as they helped her pick out something nice to ware to the upcoming party that she was going to attend.

"I don't know why I'm even bothering…" Relena sighed as she changed out of the emerald green silk evening dress and reached for the next dress that Mrs. Jones had acquired for her; a loose fitting, long-sleeved, dress, dusty rose in color. "It's not like it matters anyways. I'm only going for Heero's sake."

"Oh really?" Dorothy questioned slyly, "And just what makes you say that?"

"You're not out to charm Yuy are you?" Hilde quipped.

"No! Of course not! Really you two, do you honestly think that little of me?" Relena asked as she walked out of her bathroom to let them have a look at it.

"Ugh! Put it back! That's hideous!" Dorothy commended, pushing Relena back into the bathroom.

"So, if you aren't out for Heero in that way, then what do you mean?" Hilde asked.

"I want him to meet this old school mate of mine--"

"Oh my god!" Hilde interrupted.

"You're setting him up, why?" Dorothy said as Relena showed them a sleek, all black, velvet dress with a matching over jacket.

"God Relena, you look like you're going to be going to a funeral." Hilde sighed.

"I might as well be, seeing as this just might be what kills me." Relena murmured as she turned to go change again.

"Which, once again, brings us to the same question of why." Dorothy stated.

"Because I want to, that's why. Is it really that hard to believe?" Relena replied.

"YES!" the pair chimed from the other side of the bathroom door.

"…That wasn't funny, girls…" Relena said sternly as she opened the door and stepped out dressed in a simple, light blue, party dress with off-the-shoulder straps, sleeveless, and flared out delicately from her curvaceous hips and dipped sharply above her chest in a V-cut, showing off her what little bit of cleavage she had.

"Oh wow, I like this one…" Hilde breathed as she gently touched the fabric.

"It's too childish." Dorothy said.

"You're so picky! It is not! I love it!" Hilde snapped.

"I honestly don't know why I'm even looking for a dress, if it weren't for the press, I would go in just a potato sack if I could get away with it." Relena groaned; this was proving to be more of a chore then she had originally thought it was going to be.

"It is so. I'll have you know what Marie-Maya wore that exact same style to her twelfth birthday!" Dorothy countered, ignoring Relena completely.

"Point taken. I'll go try something else…" Relena said as she turned to try something else on.

"I talked with Sally today." Hilde commented offhandedly, changing the subject before a fight could ensue between herself and Dorothy, as Relena peeled herself out of the dress and unzipped the back of the next one.

"Oh, and how is she?" Dorothy asked, joining in the small talk.

"She seemed well. Though she was a bit mad at Une for not allowing her to give Relena that offer--"

"What offer was this?" Relena cut in from her half-in-half-out position in the next dress, her curiosity piqued.

"Oh, that? Nonsense really, just that there seems to have some new technology out for helping the blind." Dorothy replied casually, glancing at Hilde slyly out of the corner of her eye. Their plan was working perfectly; Sally would be pleased.

"And that is?" Relena asked, not missing the slight tone shift in Dorothy's voice; they were up to something.

"It's no use anyways Relena! You need someone willing to do it." Hilde quipped.

"I can't very well say no to it if I don't know what it is Hilde, what is it?" Relena said as she walked out of the bathroom dressed in a cream dress that clung to her like a second skin with the skirt so long it hid her feet and trailed slightly as she walked and had a sheer, cape-like, train that could be attached to her fingers by a ring on each hand, almost giving her the affect of having wings. Hilde and Dorothy were speechless. "Dorothy, Hilde, you two alright?" Relena asked in a worried tone, unable to see their expressions.

"We're fine Miss Relena, it's just that you look…" Dorothy said, her voice trailing off.

"You're so gorgeous!" Hilde squealed as she jumped up and hug the blind woman, surprising her slightly but she quickly recovered and soon was hugging the raven-haired young woman back.

"Thank you…" Relena whispered, knowing that Heero was listening in on them from the other side of her bedroom door. She could almost hear him tightening and loosening his fists before he walked off on soundless steps, the slight swish of the air the only sign that he had even been there. _'What are you up to now Heero?'_ she caught herself wondering before shaking her head and joining in the conversation with Sally, who Dorothy had called on Relena's videophone, and the others.

From what Sally told them, the basic idea of it was simple, two people get a special chip placed in the back of their optical lobes that acts as a transmitter from the person with full sight to the person without; by sending the data of what the one person sees to the other, it allows for the blind person to see, roughly, the chips still lack on being able to grasp the finer details that human eyes are able to see, what the other sees. The only thing they lacked was a volunteer to do it.

*****

"You said that there was no cure." Heero stated, his voice deadly calm, as he pinned Doctor Conner into the white brick of the hospital wall.

"M-Mr. McCall! I did no such thing!" Maria stammered.

"You deliberately withheld information from your patent--" Heero growled.

"I had no choice! Preventer Earth ordered me not to--" Doctor Conner said shakily.

"She had no right and no place to make you withhold information from her!" Heero snapped, his eyes burning angrily.

"I assure you, Mr. McCall, if it wasn't a risk to my losing my lively-hood, I would have told Miss Dorlain." Maria whimpered, sure that he was going to kill her if he didn't get his answers.

"I want information and I want it now. What is this treatment?" Heero demanded.

"I'll tell you everything…" Maria said, giving in and, after explaining the whole technique and how it worked, Heero left, seeming to have faded out of sight, like he was never there to begin with.

Relena took a different approach to the situation. After she had spoken to Sally she called Preventer Earth's office and, after some heated discussion, Relena said, "I want to do this Une."

__

"I don't think you understand what this would mean, Miss Dorlain." Anne replied calmly.

"I know the risks but I really have no choice if I am to continue to serve the people." Relena said firmly, she wasn't going to back down.

__

"That's fine, but you forget, you still need someone who is willing to--" Une was cut off by the sound of someone flinging her door open, at which point Relena heard the unmistakable sound of Heero's voice on Une's line.

__

"I'll do it."

If either of them had chosen that moment to look at the screen, they would have see Relena with a watery smile and mouth the word, _"Heero…"_

*****

The night of the annual class-reunion ball was something to remember for years to come. This wasn't necessarily a good thing in Heero's mind. With the music playing the moment they entered the room, the high, intricately painted, ceilings, the gleaming crystal chandelier in the center of it, the soft autumn color scheme that was their school colors, and the light-pink champagne that flowed freely only seemed to further enhance the feel of impending doom in the pit of his stomach.

"What is it like?" Relena asked, leaning over to whisper into his ear, unknowingly making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as breath fanned the sensitive flesh there. He didn't answer. "That nice, huh?" Relena muttered wryly, cursing Heero's lack of care for the scenery and thanking her stars that he had, at least, offered to go through with the operation in a few weeks. They could have done it sooner but Relena wasn't in the mood for sporting a new bandage to a semi-public gathering.

"Relena! There you are!" chimed Clare, Candice's unrelated twin, as she was called when they were in school, partly due to the fact that they were always talking together and both looked remarkably similar. Relena recalled how both of them ran to help her when Oz attacked the school all those years ago.

"Clare, how are you?" Relena asked as she loosened her hold on Heero's arm, as she wanted to go without her walking stick and so she had enlisted his help as a seeing-eye-person.

"I'm okay. I'm so sorry about what happened to you though, it just doesn't seem fair." Clare replied as she let Relena feel her face with her hands.

"It's alright, I've gotten through worse and this will be no different."

"But, Relena, this time it's permanent!" Clare cried.

"Don't do that, Clare, please don't. I'm fine, all I need right now is the support of my friends, family and the public. I need everyone to be strong for me, to prove that peace can survive without me leading it." Relena said comfortingly, rubbing the other woman's shoulders with her hands in a soothing motion. Heero turned his attention to the rest of the room and began to scan the crowd with his, green-contact-covered, eyes.

"We will, Relena, you'll see, we will. I have to go and speak with Rubella; she just walked in through the door, okay? I'll see you in a bit!" Clare said with a smile before dabbing her eyes and rushing off. Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Nobody came in through the door." He remarked as he let Relena take him by the arm again.

"I know, but she wanted to go to it was less uncomfortable so I let her think that I believed it." Relena replied as they began to walk. Heero made an odd, almost too soft to be heard, noise. 

Relena smiled, "Please, let's not revert back to grunts again, shall we?"

"Glad that I didn't miss the party. Hey Relena." A smooth sounding voice said as its owner stepped into their way. Relena let her jaw drop before she smiled.

"If it isn't the greatest gentleman of them all, Tommy Tucker." She replied, fully aware of how Heero's grip tightened on her arm almost painfully at the mention of the pale-haired gray-eyed young man.

"In the flesh. It's so good to see you again." He said as he bowed and kissed her free hand lightly. Making her grin.

"Flirt." she commented as she pulled herself out of Heero's grasp and slapped Tommy playfully on the shoulder.

"Brat." He teased back.

"The one and only." she replied, "Oh, I should introduce you! Jessie, this is Tom--"

"Tommy Tucker, yes, I gathered this much." Heero interrupted her.

"Nice to meet you Jessie." Tommy said extending his hand out to him. Heero didn't bother to shake it and looked away. "So, Relena," Tommy began, quickly placing his hand behind his head, choosing to ignore the whole thing, "How would you like to dance with me? For old time's sake?"

"Tommy, I really don't know, I can exactly dance very well anymore and I--"

"Relena! Jessie! There you are!" Candice's call cut in, drowning out Relena's excuse.

"Hey Candy, I see you've met Relena's new friend already." Tommy said as he hugged the voluptuous young woman, dressed in a, lavender colored, dress made of the finest of silks.

"Yes, over the vid-phone believe it or not! And how have you been Tom? You old cad!" Candice charmed.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Candice, and you know it." Tommy joked.

"I had to try. Well, Mr. Jessie, aren't you going to ask me to dance?" Candice asked as she turned her attentions to Heero. Relena forcefully plastered a smile on her face before trying to urge Heero forward with her hand.

"Go ahead Jessie, you need a brake anyways. Don't worry about me, I'll stay right here with Tommy. Go on and have some fun!" she said as he finally moved, giving in to her on the promise of: "Just one song".

__

'Why isn't that making me feel any better?' Heero mentally shuddered at the thought of her being with Mr. Tucker for any longer then necessary.

It never was just one dance, as soon as he had finished with Candice, he would find that Relena had already promised the next dance to another girl, and then another after her. Tommy joined in on the fun near the end however and, after Heero was sure that he had had his toes stepped on every single woman there, with exception of Relena, who still held the to belief that she couldn't dance yet, Tommy jokingly offered to dance with him. Successfully ending the party with Heero's threat of giving him a black eye if he tried to lead. All on the way home, Relena couldn't stop snickering. Obviously she had put the vagabond up to it, though she made it, strangely enough, up to him by giving a kiss on the cheek before going to her room for the night to get some, much overdue, sleep.

*****

"Damn it, Heero, listen to me…" Relena said, two weeks later in Heero's room, grabbing onto the strap of his tank top from behind him, making him stop moving about the room and, hopefully, pay some attention to her.

"I said I was going to go through with it and that's it." He replied as he shrugged her off and went about what he was doing, repacking his duffle bag.

"Heero, if you're doing this because you feel responsible, I don't want you to!" Relena said as she attempted to follow him around the room.

"Sit down before you crash into something." Heero said sternly as he forced her to sit on the edge of his bed, not sure if he was more worried her braking something or something braking her.

"You didn't answer my question…" Relena murmured softly as she closed her eyes behind her sunglasses, silently reviling in the feel of him seeming to care about her well being. It was so touching how he seemed to be so gentle and yet so firm in his ways when he was troubled.

"I want to do this Relena. It's a simple procedure and won't change my sight any, except that you will be seeing through it as well." Heero answered as he pulled himself away from her and swung his duffle bag strap over his shoulder.

"Are we done here now?" Relena asked as she stood up and, opening her walking stick, followed him down the stairs and out the front door before climbing into her waiting pink limo. Vaguely she wondered what it would be like to see it again, even if she was, for the most part, looking at it through Heero's eyes.

"Now Relena, are you sure you have everything?" Amanda questioned from her seat next to Pagan in the front.

"Yes, I'm sure, and even if I did forget anything, I could always have you come back and get it for me, right Mother?" Relena asked, playing innocent.

"Sure." Her mother replied, laughing.

"Heero, what about you? Is there anything that you think you might need?" Quatre asked.

"No."

"Are you sure? You know I'm more then willing to help if I can." Quatre added.

"Quatre, you're already going to be looking after things here for me while we recover. What more do you want to do?" Relena asked, knowing full well that he didn't know what he was getting himself into.

"I'm fine." Heero ground out through clenched teeth; he was really starting to hate how people seemed to be mollycoddling him. An idea struck him and slowly, so as to not give any hint as to what he was going to say, he said, "I'm sure… Mom." and with that, they drove off, leaving a flustered and sputtering Quatre behind in their wake.

Upon being checked into the hospital, they were guided into separate rooms so that they could be changed out of their street clothes and prepared for the operation room where two teams of surgeons, one for each, were waiting.

"Can you tell him that I'm sorry about how I've been acting towards him lately? I've just been so unsure about what I should say about how I feel about him…" Relena asked hopefully.

"I promise I'll tell him before he's put under, if that makes you feel better." Sally, who was in charge of working on Relena, said.

"Thank you Sally…" Relena smiled before she allowed herself to relax.

"Are you ready to begin?" Sally asked as she placed a clear-plastic mask over the younger woman's nose and mouth. Relena could only nod slightly as the gas began to take affect. While Sally seemed to be having a rather easy time with her patent, Doctor Conner had to put up with a fuss from hers.

"I want to say something first." Heero said, pushing the mask away and sitting up, his glare leveled with Maria's.

"Mr. McCall, we need to get--"

"It's okay Conner, Miss Relena wanted to say something too before she got put under." Doctor Po said, interrupting as she placed a gloved hand on the other woman's shoulder. Maria nodded before allowing Sally to continue, who said, "Jessie, she said to tell you how sorry she's been for her behavior as of late." This seemed to calm the perfect soldier a bit, as he closed his eyes and nodded his understanding before lying back down and, placing the mask over his face, allowed the vapors to lull him into nothingness.

*****

__

'Umm… is it over already?' she thought as she rolled her head back and forth on the pillow, attempting to shake the fuzzy feeling out of the gas-inflicted haze in her mind, unwilling to open her eyes just yet.

"You're awake." Heero's voice stated from a few feet away from her place on her bed.

"Am I really?" She asked, afraid that the operation was unsuccessful. Heero didn't reply and curiosity got the better of her and, slowly, she opened one eye and then the other. Relena began to laugh as she saw herself lying on the bed. Heero must have been watching her.

"What?" Heero asked, the image of herself blinking out as he shut his eyes for a second before opening them again.

"Am I allowed to get up?" Relena asked as she fumbled for the electronic head-lift on her bed rail.

She saw the sudden drop and lift as, she guessed, he nodded his head before saying, "Just take it easy though."

"I will Heero." She replied as she sat up slowly before getting out of her bed. It was a strange feeling, watching her body move through somebody else's eyes. It was, almost, like an out-of-body experience. She walked over to where she supposed he sat, trying to remember to step to the left when Heero saw something to her right that she could trip on and vice versa.

"Po says that, as soon as your body gets used to the computerized optical lobes, you will soon be able to see through your own eyes again but, until then, I'll be doing the job for you." Heero said as he stood up, his point of view quickly changing from looking up at her from his seat to looking down at almost the top of her head, he was so much taller then herself.

"I didn't realize that they had done that. I thought that this was it." Relena murmured, wondering why she wasn't informed of the change of plans and, in the dark recesses of her mind, she pondered just how she had failed to notice his height. "Is there a mirror in the bathroom, Heero?" she asked suddenly, catching him off-guard.

"…Yeah." He replied after a moment, as he tried to figure out what she was getting at.

"Oh good, come with me please." She said taking him by the hand and quickly going into the small room in question, stopping only when she reached the mirror. Heero raised an eyebrow at her. Before she rolled her eyes dramatically, saying, "Well, look into it."

Heero eyed her for a moment longer before turning his attention to the reflective glass object. He felt Relena tighten her hand happily around his own.

"I missed seeing that face." She smiled as she reached out a hand and clumsily traced her fingers around the image in the mirror. Heero turned to look at her again but she hurriedly placed her hands on his shoulders, saying, "No, no, no! Wait, please turn back, I'm not done yet." inwardly, she noted how sad and shaky her eyes looked as he stared at her figure. _'So this is what he saw when I couldn't…'_ she thought bitterly, as she frowned before looking away from him, folding her arms comfortingly over her chest. He watched her the whole time.

"What--" Heero began.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter." she murmured, cutting him off, before putting a smile and changed the subject, saying, "Can we go look outside now? I missed watching the birds." 

Heero felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward slightly, she sounded almost like a little girl and not like the young woman she was now. He nodded and led her to the small window in the room and pulled the curtains aside so that they, or rather he, could see out. Behind him, he heard Relena sigh as she brought the tips of her delicate fingers to her mouth as she stepped closer to his backside, unknowingly fanning his neck with her shallow breathing. He tightened his jaw in a vain attempt to ignore the sensation the action gave him.

"Heero…?" she whispered, sending a hot prickling feeling down his spine.

"Hn?"

"Thank you."

"Don't--" He paused, deciding to say something completely different then his usual, "You're welcome."

________________________________________________________________________ 

Right then, thank you all for the new reviews, I hope this makes your day. I tried to get this one done sooner but life kind of got in the way and, well, you know the rest…

I have the new current standings for you all; you guys are really having fun with this aren't you?

Well, here it is!

Current Standings:

In first place: #7 with 19 votes.

Second place: #2 with 10 votes.

Third place: #6, #4, #12, #13 with 9 votes.

Fourth place: #1 with 8 votes.

Fifth place: #8, #9 with 7 votes.

Sixth Place: #10, #14 with 6 votes.

Seventh Place: #15 with 5 votes.

Eighth Place: #3 with 4 votes.

Ninth Place: #5, #11 with 3 votes.

Thank you all and I hope you have a good day!


	10. Will the real Zero One please stand up?

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

****

Chapter Ten

Sirens blared and red lights flashed as she ran down the hall, her high-top sneakers a sharp contrast to her uniform that consisted of an army-green t-shirt, standard issue jacket and tight-fitting skirt. Mentally she made a note to do-away with the movement-hindering design as soon as she possibly could. "What is going on here?" she demanded as she skidded to a halt, the soles of her shoes screeching with complaint on the polished steel floors.

"Ma'am!" One of her men saluted, "One of the prisoners has escaped." he said, directing her attention to the large gaping whole in the outside side of the cell's wall.

"We WHAT?" Anne gasped as she looked out the opening in awe, _'It's not possible!'_ her mind cried, _'There is no way that Joshua Muller could have escaped on his own…'_

*****

"…Understood. Preventer One out." Heero said in monotone before disconnecting the link.

"So, he's broken out?" Relena asked absentmindedly, still slightly stunned from the news.

"Yeah. We need to get you to a safe--"

"No!" Relena said, cutting Heero off and catching Quatre's attention from his position by the bay window in the sitting room.

"Wh- But Miss Relena, it wouldn't be safe for you, I mean, what if he comes after you?" Quatre asked as he turned around to face them, his crystalline eyes widened into a look of worry.

"I dare him to show up here, I'm not afraid to die and I refuse to be cowed by him any longer!" Relena replied as she stood up and felt her way over to the wet-bar in the corner of the room to get a drink. Quatre turned to Heero.

"We can't just let her stay here like a sitting duck! She'll get herself killed! We have to do something Heero," the blonde said urgently. Heero refused to comment. "Please Heero," Quatre begged, "Do something."

"There is nothing I can do. She has little will to survive, so little that she's drowning in her own--"

"Heero Yuy! Don't speak like I'm not in the room. I will not tolerate being treated in such a way! If you two have something to say, say it to my face." Relena cut in, slamming her water glass onto the bar's black marble tabletop

Heero snorted, "Alright." he said as he stood up and, in two long strides, he was directly in front of her, staring down into her sunglasses as he said, "You've been drowning in your own self-hate for so long that you can't even see the light anymore. You've become the one thing that I've grown to detest."

"Oh, and what's that?" Relena asked, tapping her foot.

"Someone like me."

Relena's eyes widened behind their dark shades. _'Is it true, is it really true? Have I really become so cold?'_ she asked herself before lowering her head in shame; she didn't want to become like that, not after struggling so hard to free him from it for so long. "What do you want me to do?" she whispered as she reached up and carefully removed her sunglasses, seeing the image of her pitiful state being transmitted from his eyes.

"Step down from your position." Heero ordered.

"What? But I can't just--"

"Step down from your position as Vice-Forgien Minister." He repeated, his tone carrying a silent warning to what he would do if she didn't comply.

"Done." she finally said after a pause.

"Take the first flight with me to L4, you'll be safer there." Quatre said.

"Leave? No, I can't--"

"DO IT!" Heero shouted. If this was what it was going to take to ensure her safety, becoming a dictator to her, then so be it.

"Fine." She mumbled, her voice trembling slightly at the harsh treatment by the two Gundam Pilots.

"I'll inform your brother of our plans." Heero said, his face softening slightly from its fierce glare that had trained itself onto her person only moments before. Quatre didn't miss this subtle change but chose to leave it alone for the time being as he took Relena by the arm and lead her upstairs to pack while Heero turned and went back to the videophone and made contact with Zechs' office.

__

"Are you sure that this is a smart move? It would be better for her if we held her here." Preventer Wind said after Heero had explained the situation.

"That would be the first place that they would look for the Vice-foreign Minister. We need to keep a low profile otherwise--" Heero's voice was drowned out by an ear-splitting screech, making him dash out of the living room and up the stairs in the time it took for Preventer Wind to bat an eyelash. Upon entering the room, with his pistol cocked, Heero was met with the most puzzling of scenes. 

"…Oh god, no… This is all my fault…" Relena murmured over and over again as she and Quatre sat next to her radio, listening as the news continued to play.

__

"…Mr. Eleri and Mr. Wong could only say this, quote, 'Let us assure you that even though you've taken three of our most loved children before their time, we will not rest until you and your men responsible are brought to justice.' end quote. I repeat, Miss Eleri, Miss Wong, and Master Eleri were found dead this morning, their bodies were found mutilated and hanging by their feet from the Cinq Kingdom Spaceport walkways, in the cargo sector, no witnesses reported." The man on the radio station said.

"Poor Gethin, poor Chin. They must be really taking this hard; I knew one of their kids, it's horrible to think that he was murdered in that way." Quatre commented sadly.

"Which one was that?" Relena asked, watching as Heero lowered his gun and returned it to its hiding place, tucked neatly into the back of his jeans.

"Darren, Gethin's youngest. His older sister was one of the girls, the other had to have been her best friend, Miss Wong." Quatre replied.

"All the more reason we should leave quickly, there is no telling when they'll make their next move." Heero replied as he walked stiffly into the room, casting his gaze about him as he went.

"You're right, let's go." Quatre said as he helped Relena to her feet as Heero took her suitcase before heading out to Quatre's car. Heero paused to tell Milliardo what happened over the videophone before disconnecting and following the other two into the, antique, white a Continental.

*****

"I didn't like that answer, Heero."

"Too bad. It's all you're going to get."

"Who are you to tell me when, where I go and with whom I go with?"

"The person who is trying to keep you alive, for one reason." Heero replied calmly, his fists clenching and unclenching rhythmically in time with each word. She was purposely making things difficult for them. Quatre only shook his head with bemusement as he watched them argue back and forth about her being able to attend Sally's wedding.

"Well, isn't that funny, I don't seem to recall wanting to stay alive, not if it means living in hiding like this. I'm not afraid of death Heero, you honestly should know better then to use that excuse." Relena retorted.

Quatre took a sip of his neglected coffee, grimacing at the cold and bitter taste it had. _'Too bad that Rashid can't brew a good cup of coffee to save is life.'_ Quatre mused before making a mental note to have Abdul make the next pot, ducking as Relena, by sheer luck, threw a vase at Heero's direction, missing the unruly-haired pilot by a good two feet, and smashing it into the wall behind the blonde, honorary, Arabian. _'Did she have to throw the one from the Chin dynasty? There goes a quarter of a million down the drain.'_ Quatre thought with a sigh. This was going to be a long day.

"Weren't you a pacifist?" Heero questioned from his place in front of the raging young woman.

"Past-tense, WAS, I was a pacifist. I am going to that wedding Heero, whether you like it or not, I am going and that's that." Relena seethed from her spot by the table where the Chinese vase had once proudly stood.

"Not until Joshua is in custody." Heero stated firmly.

"The wedding is two weeks away. They're bound to have caught him by then, I'm sure of it, don't say no until then, please?" Relena asked, almost to the state of begging; she wanted to be there so badly for her friend, as she intertwined her fingers with each other as she held her hands in praying motion at her chest.

"…Fine." Heero finally spat out, discontented with how quickly he had given in to the outrageous request. The thought was swiftly flushed out of his mind as she all but launched herself into him, her arms wrapping around his torso in a hug as she mumbled words of thanks into the crook of his neck. Quatre smiled knowingly at the scene before adding a call to Dorothy to his "to-do" list.

*****

"Bring him in." A dark and voluptuous figure said from her place in the deep recesses of the room as she sipped from her brandy glass.

"Yes Ma'am!" one of her minions said before pounding a hand onto his chest and leaving the room via one of the many side doors.

"How wonderful… You made a fool of us once, but now, I hold all of the cards Muller and soon, you are going to get what is coming to you, oh yes, you'll get it all right…"the woman chortled within the shadows, "Nobody toys with the Titans and live…for long." she added as two of her men returned, dragging a vary unhealthy looking Joshua before letting him drop face first into the icy floor with a "THUMP". Joshua moaned in complaint but remained still.

"Get up you lazy dog!" one of the soldiers commanded as he kicked the limp form on the floor, making Muller curl up into a ball painfully.

"Enough!" She ordered, her hand rose to end the pitiful scene as she stood from her chair, carefully setting her brandy aside as she did so. "Leave us," she said as she walked down the two steps from her throne barefooted before stopping in front of their prisoner.

"Ma'am!" her men replied, their voices echoing harshly in Joshua's ears before they left.

"I can't decide which is the greater of the two evils, being held by Preventer, or being held by you." Joshua glared as he pushing himself up with a sharp intake of air as he felt his ribs crack painfully around his lungs.

"You didn't actually think that I would let you get away with betrayal, did you Joshua?" the woman replied with a sneer as she circled him like a vulture, her curly mop of red hair glinting fire-like in the pale gleam of the lights that drifted under the doors into the room.

"I was never a part of this to begin with, Maria." Joshua smirked as he met her in the eyes.

__

'That's right you pathetic fool. Laugh at your death. Even you would have to admit that it was the cleverest of disguises. Who would have ever suspected the stern but sweet-hearted Doctor Conner of being the leader of the Titans?' She thought cynically as she carefully reached behind her back as she said, "You have gotten in my way for the last time!" She drew the gun that was skillfully tucked within her robes, took aim at his left temple, and pulled the trigger. Joshua fell over dead. "Get this trash out of here." She commended to loudly to her men before they took the bloody corpse out of her sight.

*****

__

"So, did you hear the news? He was found dead, gun shot to the head, floating in the river today." Dorothy said as soon as he had answered on the other end of the line.

"Yes I did. But, doesn't it seem strange to you? I mean, why would he go through all of the trouble of getting rid of the evidence against himself, only to commit suicide two days later?" Quatre replied as he rubbed his temples gently; he was starting to get a headache from thinking so hard.

__

"Do you want to know what I think? I think someone did him in." Dorothy said, not waiting for his answer.

"So does Wufei, he said that he's looking into it." Quatre commented as he recalled what the Chinaman had said to him a few hours ago via the videophone.

__

"How is Miss Relena doing?" Dorothy asked, changing the subject.

"She was shocked, I think, but other then that, she seemed to take it well."

__

"Heero still not letting her go to the wedding?"

"He hasn't said 'yes' yet, but I get the feeling that he will eventually, as soon as he realizes that she isn't going to take 'no' for an answer." Quatre replied in an amused tone.

__

"Smart girl. The place will be crawling with Preventer soldiers, I can't imagine anyone dumb enough to walk into the middle of that." Dorothy said with a smile.

"I don't know though, Dorothy; we've been wrong before. There is no telling what might happen now." Quatre sighed.

__

"I know, isn't it fascinating?"

*****

"Where IS he? Why isn't he here yet?" Sally asked Dorothy, who was one of the bride's maids, as she shuffled herself back and forth in the waiting room in her wedding dress, her movements hindered by the ridiculously padded skirt.

"We don't know yet. He could always be held up in traffic."

"FOR THREE HOURS?" Sally cried, appalled that Dorothy, who was known worldwide for her "cruel to be kind" approach to life, would suggest something so illogical.

"Aunt Sally! Please. You have to keep calm." This came from the flower girl, Sally's seven-year-old niece, Samantha.

"I am calm. I'm calm. I'm so perfectly calm that I could RING Luke's scrawny little neck!" Sally said as she made choking motions with her hands. Her mother took a step back from her, as did the rest of the women in the room.

Finally, after being at a near perpetual rage, Sally heard a knock at the door and quickly motioned Dorothy to answer it. It was Wufei. All of the women in the room tilted their heads up and shared a mental groan. He was, no doubt, there to rub it in.

"This arrived for you." He said as he handed Sally an envelope with her name written on the front in long and scrolled cursive. Luke's handwriting.

__

Major, thanks for being there for myself and everyone when you never had to be. What I'm going to be saying here is going to be hard. If it helps, you're a wonderful woman, Sal, and I think that the guy who gets you would be the luckiest man in the universe. What I mean to say is… Well, Sal, I love you more then anything, but… I don't know how to say this… but the wedding is off.

__

I wish happy life and I hope that we, at least, can still be friends.

__

A good friend always,

Luke Summers

Sally smiled through the tears that clung in her eyes as she finished the, not very poetic, yet honest letter. "Thanks Luke." she murmured as she dabbed the water out of her eyes with the back of her gloved hand.

"I told you so." Wufei remarked dryly once all of the other women in the room had vacated.

"So you did. Where did I go wrong, Chang?" Sally replied hopelessly.

"Nowhere." Wufei replied, making her look up at him with surprise; he so rarely said things like that that it caught her off guard.

"What?" She asked.

"Didn't you hear? I said, nowhere, you didn't mess anything up, the only thing you did wrong was start a relationship with the wrong person." He replied as he sat on the edge of the maple desk at the far end of the room, near the window, his back facing her.

"Oh really? Then, would you mind telling me who I should have started it with?" Sally questioned wryly.

"Why not? You should have started it with--" he didn't get a chance to finish as she had launched herself into him, knocking them both to the floor.

"Wufei, you are a fool." were the last words that she managed to gasp out before he silenced her mouth with a kiss. While they were caught up in the pent-up emotions and unsaid endearments that they had withheld from one another Heero, Relena, and the others were discovering news of a more unpleasant nature.

All around them came the murmurs of things like, "The wedding? OFF? Impossible!" and "This can't be. Where is Sally? How is she doing?" as Relena reached over blindly and tugged on the sleeve of Heero's suit jacket.

"Hn?" He muttered once she had gotten his attention.

"Look around the room for me please. I need to see something." Came Relena's request. 

Heero nodded slightly before straightening his back from it's slouched position before casting his gaze about the room, his well trained eyes quickly filtering out the soft decorations of white roses and baby's breath before settling them on a masculine figure dressed in a white suit with black hair hanging loosely onto his shoulders with his back facing the guests.

"Who is that?" Relena asked, placing a hand on his shoulder so that she could whisper into His ear. Heero glanced his eyes down at her hand for a moment before returning them to the man in front of the priest, narrowing his eyes as he did so, but didn't offer any response. The piano in one corner of the room began to play "Here Comes the Bride" as the doors in the back of the room swung open and Sally, along with two bride's maids, the maid of honor, and the flower girl, walked in.

"We are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two people…" The priest said once Sally had traveled the length of the room and the music had stopped. Heero quickly blocked out the rest of it and settled in for a boring hour and a half.

It wasn't until Heero had just let his eyes slip closed, which was, ironically enough, just in time for the famous line: "…If anyone knows of any reason why these two should not be married, let them speak now or--" This was about the time that the windows in the chapel smashed in and people began diving under the pews to protect themselves before reaching for their firearms, which any war-hardened Perventer never went without, though most of said firearms were not much more then the average pistol. As the dust cleared a large man in a thick ski mask and dark clothing stood over the collapsed body of the priest, the butt of the man's riffle where the holy man's head once was located. 

"We're looking for a man known as Zero-one." The man in the ski mask said as the rest of his men poured into the room and quickly sized control of the Preventers' arms.

"And what if we don't have, or know who is, Zero-one?" Une asked as she marched steadily forward, the barrel of a pump-action shotgun digging into her backside.

"Unless Zero-one wants you all to be killed off one by one, he'll surrender himself." the man replied.

"You want Zero-one? You got him!" Duo called out as he stood up. Hilde screamed in horror as the man's men began to move in on the braided pilot.

"No. Zero-one is me." Trowa said suddenly as he jumped up and, doing a twist in mid air, landed in the middle of the room.

"You weaklings! It is I that you are after!" Wufei called from the front of the room, his black hair out of it's usual ponytail and dressed in the white suit.

"You're wrong, it's me." Zechs said as he stood up, followed by several other Preventers who called out similar things.

"Or is it me? Can you really be sure that it is any of us?" Quatre quipped as he stood with Dorothy by his side, both leveling pistols on the leader, the other Preventers doing the same.

"Well, it looks like, if you want Zero-one, you'll have to go through all of us first." Une replied proudly. 

________________________________________________________________________

I'm SORRY! I know this is beyond late! Please forgive me! I know, I know! Three weeks is a lot for a person to ask for her readers, but I beg of you! Hear me out! It wasn't totally my fault! Yeah, sure I had the writers block from hell, and sure I was trying to avoid the upstairs because my little brother let something rot up there and I didn't want to smell it until he took it out. Yeah, okay, so it kind of was. But I tried! And I know it's short, but it was the best that I could do. Forgive me?

For those of you who have not voted for the next fanfic, here is the list, again:

1. I know this has already been done, but I think the person that was originally writing it stopped, and besides that, I plan to put a few new twists to if then she did, I'm thinking about going a Gundam wing/Escaflowne fic; it would have five parts to the full series, the first part would be totally Escaflowne (mostly about how Hitomi gets back to Gaea and about her and Van's son, Aden Folken de Kenzaki-Fanel, long name, I know, and how he got separated from them) "Aden! Aden, where are you?" "I'm over here mummy!". 

The second part would be Totally Gundam Wing (this part would be about how Heero discovers the hidden planet, a secret of Odin Lowe, Something that Dr.J left for him and eventually he gets taken to Gaea) "What's this? Cards…? That's what he left in his will for me?". 

The third would be about Heero wandering around on Gaea trying to figure some things out and ending up meeting Van and Hitomi and the things that happen because of it "Oh good! You're awake! I was starting to worry about you." "Relena?" "Nope! You're a good guesser though; my name is Celena". 

The fourth part is about Relena and the other G-guys trying to find him and somehow stumbling on the answers, and the way to Gaea themselves "How can you just stand there and not be worried about him? HOW? Heero could be lost laying in some cold damp street somewhere dying for all we know and you are all just standing there like it's no big deal!". 

The last is the conclusion "Oh my god! HEERO!" she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a great bid hug, "I was afraid that I would never see you again! I missed you so much…". {Eight votes here}

2. This one is completely original on my part and is an AU unlike any other, that I know of: Heero, a Bounty-hunter, gets lost in a forest while trying to track down the Infamous thief, Duo Maxwell, and finds himself having to camp inside of a cave with a peculiar stream water flowing within it, after testing it and finding it "safe" to drink, Heero has his fill of it, but, unknown to him, quenching his thirst comes at a high price. He wakes up the next morning in the body of a wolf and finds out that he can only be human if there is no sun OR moon out! And now he has either find a cure, learn how to survive as a being of the forests, or else. "Astor! Shepherd! …I hate it when they do this… You rotten dogs! Get back here!" "Well, well, look at what we have here boys… a pretty little lady lost and all alone. What do you say missy? Want old Joey and his friends to show you home?" the man snickered. "No! Let go of me! Somebody! Help, HELP!" {Eleven votes here}

3. This one is very common, but I'm willing to try my hand at it: Heero loves Duo, but he also loves Relena; and the feelings are mutual from both of them. What is a guy to do? This would be my first attempt at a yoai fic if I decide to do it. "The thing is, should I even try to have something more then just friendship with either of them? I don't want one of them to think that they lost me to the other…so, what do I do?" {Four votes here}

4. Locked away in a mental institution isn't what she had envisioned what would have happened to Him, him being Heero Yuy, but now, after Relena as seen him locked in there with her own eyes, can she really say that he doesn't belong there? "Damn it, Relena, listen to me! I'm not-- let go of me-- I'm not crazy I tell you, I'm not!" {Nine for this one}

5. Looking down at the Scrap-yard, she couldn't help but feel more then just a touch of jealousy towards the black-haired blue-eyed ex-oz soldier, Hilde, but also knowing that she wasn't what he needed in his life; she kept her heart out of it, and started working on putting both the Deathscythe pilot and the girl together; even if it killed her. This would be my first Duo-and-Hilde fic. "Ugh! How hard could it possibly be for this MORON to pull his head out of his ASS long enough to see that this chick digs him? I can't believe this!" {Three votes here}

6. What if Triton Bloom was alive, and he wasn't Trowa? What would No-name do, and think, if he met Cathy's real brother? Would he feel replaced and out-matched compared to the real thing? A Non-romance fic, this is just about family. "You want me to share a room with him?" "Yes, Trowa, I want you guys to share a room. Don't look at me like that! It won't be so bad!" two days later: "HELP! CATHY! Trowa's lost it! I think he's gonna kill me! HELP!" {Nine votes for this one already}

7. Relena's guards love to work over-time, they never complain, they think they get paid too much for what little they claim to do, they're selfless, gentle, sweet, kind, caring, lovable...Are. You. Nuts? Felina, Jasmine, JinChi, Keanu, and Fiora are anything BUT that and now that the "great and all mighty non-perfect Heero Yuy" is around, they find themselves fighting to keep the jobs that they hate, all while trying to hook the lovebirds up! "Remind me again how it was that we got sweet-talked into this mess?" "If I do recall, it was you who suggested this outlandish idea, Fiora Eleri." "…Thanks for reminding me, why oh why did I want to do this?" "Because you're a hopeless romantic at heart?" "It's either that or she's crazy…" they all looked at each other for a moment before saying, "Crazy." {Nineteen votes for this one}

8. Milliardo hated action figures; they reminded him too much of his little sister's dolls, so, why he got the twelve-inch-tall Zero-One Gundam Pilot: Heero Yuy, "G.I. Joe-like" action-figure for his tenth birthday, he never knew. His sister, who had to stay at home because of the chickenpox, was enthralled when he offered to let her play with "it" whenever she wanted to. But something very strange happens when, suddenly, nine years latter, he comes to life! "Relena! We're home darling!" "Relena… are you feeling better?" "Not really, was your party fun?" "It was okay, here, you can play with this when you're lonely while I'm away at school, okay?" "Really? Your brand new toy? Thank you Milliardo!" {Eight votes for this one}

9. What if: Western (the sequel to What if: Myth) what happens when a "city slicker" schemes to buy out a whole town that stands on the world's biggest oil-well in history? The Keepers of Mystic return to the lands of the living again, of course! But, how are they going to be able to reunite when they can't even remember whom they were? And, most importantly, who is who in the times of sharpshooters, outlaws, and "red-skins"? "I don't know who you are and, quite frankly, I just don't care. But, if you think that you're gonna get away without buying a ticket to ride this here train, you got another thing comin'!" {Seven votes here}

10. It's been done a million times before, but never in a way like this: Gundam Wing Outtakes, these outtakes, unlike most others out there, are geared more toward the funny-serious style that I am known for. "BRIAN! Stop making goggle eyes!" in this 'series' I will be using the names of the American voice actors and be telling of their exploits all through the series as if they really were the Gundam Pilots and all of the other characters. "Piffff! Hahahaha! I'm sorry Cole, I couldn't help it!" My first attempt at pure humor. {Seven Votes for this}

11. What if Relena never met Heero on that beach? What if she never found out that he was a Gundam Pilot? I'll be going back through the series and rewriting it to find out. What will the outcome be? Was meeting Heero Yuy a major part of her becoming the woman she is today? I hope to try and find out. "What kind of person is he?" {Three votes here}

12. The Shreens are beings from a distant plant outside of the earth's solar system who are a race of all women who survive by attacking other inhabited planets and stealing all of their men for the use of breeding and for slaves. And now, with Heero presumed dead, it's up to Relena to stop them before it's too late. "Don't you like my pet, Queen Relena? He has the most beautiful eyes. Why don't you come closer, my pet, so that she can see you better hum…?" Shiva said as the large figure that sat by her chair moved into the light. Relena gasped, "Heero!". My first attempt at writing lemons but since FanFiction.net doesn't allow those anymore, I'll post the lemon parts to this fic (which aren't all THAT important to the plot) on my website (which is listed in my FF.net profile). {Nine votes for this one}

13. "In other news today: Relena Darlian was shot today at the peace-talks on L4, she was dead on the scene. Relena left behind her brother and sister-in-law and their two-year-old son, Zachary. Relena, if you can hear us up there, we will miss you…. And now for--" Heero turned off the TV and looked over at the cat that lay curled up on the sofa next to him; it was nursing it's single, lonely, kitten. "They didn't mention you, Indigo." the black cat ignored him, but her yellow and orange-striped kitten stopped her suckling to look up at him and mew before going back to her mother's teat. 'Something is very strange about that kitten…' Heero thought. Too bad that he didn't know how right he really was… 'Well that explains a lot.' the kitten thought as she continued to nurse, 'I died that day and then… I was, I was reborn then as, as Indigo's kitten… Poor Heero, I wish I could tell him…' {Nine votes here}

14. A request was made that I try to combine Story idea number Six and Seven together. I want to know if anyone else likes this idea. {Six votes here}

15. An epilogue for What if:Myth {Five votes here}

Current Standings:

In first place: #7 with 19 votes.

Second place: #2 with 11 votes.

Third place: #6, #4, #12, #13 with 9 votes.

Fourth place: #1, #8 with 8 votes.

Fifth place: #9 with 7 votes.

Sixth Place: #10, #14 with 6 votes.

Seventh Place: #15 with 5 votes.

Eighth Place: #3 with 4 votes.

Ninth Place: #5, #11 with 3 votes.

Take care, one and all!


	11. An unusual ending

****

Never, Ever, After

__

By: Prinder

Warnings: Slight swearing.

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe.

Summery: Relena really should be more careful about what she wishes for…

Disclaimer: *Grumble, grumble* *sigh* …I do not own Gundam Wing, nor will I ever own it. I am just a poor, pitiful wannabe-author that isn't worth suing, so, if you please, just don't.

"Denotes speech."  
_'Denotes thought.'_

Denotes writing.

"Denotes over a phone or any other form of com-system."

(Denotes my interruptions.)

Yeah! I'm back! For almost two weeks now my computer hasn't been working so I couldn't start writing until now. As it turns out, it was the laser mouse that was causing all of the trouble -_-; I know, go figure. Anyway, thank you, everyone, for all of the wonderful reviews that you've sent to me and I hope to make this chapter even better then the last. Anyway, on with Chapter Eleven!

****

Chapter Eleven

"Well, it looks like, if you want Zero-one, you'll have to go through all of us first." Une replied proudly, her head held high and her eyes leveled on that of the masked man's, failing to notice the figure in light purple glide in behind her, and raise a pistol with the hammer already cocked.

"If you insist." the figure said in an icy tone, her eyes flashing behind her thick glasses and her carrot colored hair swaying wildly in the soft breeze that drifted in through the shattered windows as she fired a warning shot that grazed past Anne's ear and ruffling her light brown tresses. Une spun around.

"It's you!" Une gasped, "But why?" she questioned as Heero trained his sights on Maria's face while Relena tightened her grip on his arm.

"You ignorant fool. Why does anyone challenge the great and all mighty Preventers? It's all very simple, when one actually thinks about it; the answer is power, power is what all inspiring masterminds crave." Maria replied sarcastically, her hand not wavering her pistol a millimeter from its intended target, Preventer Earth's forehead.

"Ma'am, your orders?" the masked man requested as he trotted down the three steps from the Alter and over to where she and Anne stood. Saluting as he came to a stop.

"Ah yes, the boy, the one with the blonde hanging from his elbow, he is Zero-one. Get him!" Maria ordered, her mind not missing a beat as the rest of the hostages within the room jumped or gasped in shock. Maria sneered as she thought, _'Apparently nobody had ever bothered to tell all of the Preventers that they were working with one of the greatest pilots known to man. How delightful!'_

"Heero… Heero, listen to me…" Relena whispered out of the corner of her mouth as a few of Maria's soldiers began to circle around them.

"Hn?" Heero glanced down at her.

"Hush…. Don't let them hear you. You have to run, it's you that they're after; they wouldn't dare do anything to us until they have you. You have to get away and find help, somehow." Relena murmured quickly before she pushed him away and began to scream, successfully drawing everyone's attention to herself, saying, "No It- it's not possible! You-- You can't be him! I saw him die at the bunker! I know I did! You're not him, you can't be!"

"What, Relena what are you--?" Heero began but, after catching the fire-like burn within her aquamarine eyes, caught on and, in the blink of an eye, had pushed his way past Maria's men and made it out of the closest available opening to him, one of the shattered windows.

"What are you standing around for? GO AFTER HIM!" Maria hollered but by the time they had made it to the window from which he had jumped, he was long gone. "Well, no matter, he will be back, he wouldn't dare run the risk of something happening to his precious, sweet, little princess Relena." Maria glared as she grabbed Relena by her chin and dug her nails into the younger woman's tender flesh. Relena said nothing as Maria ordered her men to load all of the hostages into armored trucks.

*****

Splash, splash, splash, patter, patter, patter, thud, thud, thud. Everything around him seemed to be drowned out by the varying sounds that his black dress shoes made as he ran, first, down the alley adjacent to the church, then out into the crowded streets, and into the echoing warehouse that seemed to suit his needs for anonymity. _'I have to get them out of there. There is no two ways about it. But how am I going to do it?'_ Heero pondered as he checked to make sure that the door behind him was securely locked in case one of Maria's thugs had managed, by sheer luck on their part, to follow him. His good lung wheezed in complaint as he took in one shaking breath after another. He pounded his fist against the doorframe and he cursed himself silently, _'This isn't a good time for my body to decide not to cooperate!'_

__

"…You have to run, it's you that they're after; they wouldn't dare do anything to us until they have you. You have to get away and find help, somehow." 

"Relena…" Heero's voice croaked out as he rested his forehead up against the heavy metal door as he recalled her pleading whisper and her determined eyes. She knew exactly what she was asking of him; she knew that she was asking him to abandon them and to save his own skin, that she was asking him to be a coward. "I well get them back!" Heero proclaimed to the echoing building as he wrenched the door open, ignoring the fact that it was still locked, with renewed vigor and thundered off. The foreboding clouds in the sky seemed to announce the blood lust that shone darkly in his Persian blue eyes.

*****

"Damn it, Relena, stop twitching! You aren't making this any easier!" Sally chided as she lifted the false layer of skin tissue and hair near the back of the younger woman's head and began to do what could only be described as "fiddling" with the mechanical optical lobe that lay hidden underneath, attached to her skull in such a way so that it didn't bleed when opened for adjustments.

"But that HURTS!" Relena complained as Sally shifted one of the sensors over too far and knocked Relena's sight off completely.

"Keep it down. We don't want to alert anyone." Trowa said coolly from his position closest to the front of the cell's iron bars. He was keeping a look out for any of the soldiers that marched down the halls at odd increments. This effectively ridded them of the option of just knocking out a group and sneaking out on their own, as they wouldn't know how soon the next group would be upon them.

"Give the girl a brake, Trowa! This isn't going to be easy for her." Catherine said from her spot on the floor next to her brother.

"Water, are you sure this is going to work?" Une questioned for the third time in the past hour.

"I don't know. Reversing the way the signal transmits through one eye, along with activating the computerized image synthesizer, should send Heero an image of whatever Relena sees through that one eye while she can still see what he does through the other. However, there is no way to calibrate his without him here so there is no guarantee that he will even receive anything." Sally replied pausing in her work to give Relena a short rest.

"That isn't much to go on, Sal." Lucrezia commented.

"I'm open to suggestions if any of you can come up with something better." Sally said dryly. Nobody said anything else on the topic. The room dropped quickly into a tense silence. Sally returned to working on her patent.

"Ouch." Relena hissed through tightly clenched teeth.

"Sorry Relena."

*****

"Hey! Hold up, you haven't been authorized to go in there!" the once bored woman, now wide eyed with shock, screamed as she fought to pull him back from Preventer Sunrise's office door.

"Now is not the time to be worrying about protocols. Let me speak to Middi. It is an emergency." Heero said, gritting his teeth all the while, as he forced his way into Middi Une's office. 

"Emergency? I would say so, as you can't seem to wait until my older sister gets back." Middi, taking after their mother's looks, was small and narrow in the shoulders with curly blonde hair and sea foam green eyes while Anne looked more like the feminine form of their father with her straight brown hair, broad frame, and dark brown eyes. 

"Preventer Earth along with Two, Three, Four, Five, Water, Fire and Wind have been captured as well as the Relena Dorian and all of the other guests at Sally's wedding. I was almost unable to escape myself to inform you of the Titan's attack." Heero said, wasting no time and getting straight to the root of the problem.

"Preventer Data!" Middi called to the woman who still held a firm grip on Heero's jacket sleeve.

"Ma'am?" The Preventer questioned slowly as she quickly righted herself, putting her hands behind her back when Heero tuned his glare in on her.

"Call the back-up support."

"Y-yes Ma'am!" The other woman said before scrambling out of Preventer Sunrise's office, closing the door behind her as she made a quick salute as she exited.

"Have a seat while we wait, Preventer One, and tell me what happened to my sister and the others." Middi said as she attempted to remain calm, her voice cracked and strained at the thought of, after finding her older sister after so long a time apart, losing her just when they were finally starting to piece their lives back together. Absently, she pondered about what Marie-Maya would say if it ever came down to that. Heero walked over to the front of her desk and seated himself directly in front of her. "Tell me everything that you know." She said as she returned to her own seat and listened as Heero replayed everything in his mind and relaying it to her in his, quick, computer-like accuracy.

A knock on the door alerted them back to the real world as a huge, ape-like man with squinty, harsh, brown eyes entered along with four others, which were, obviously, some of his most-trusted men and women. "I thought I told you that I would have no part in anything that you did anymore after what had happened to my brother and sister." He mumbled, the gravelly sound of his voice making it sound louder then he had actually intended. 

"I know that Race but you said, also, that if you could get the chance to get even with the ones who did it, you would. I believe that I know just how you can do it." Middi replied soothingly. Racimous Eleri was still very bitter that Preventer was unable to protect two of the people that he would ever admit to caring for.

"Well then? What are we standing here for? Let's roll." Racimous said and, on that note, they set to organizing a rescue squad larger then any of the other Preventers on the base had ever seen. All of which was run under Race's keen eye and willful ruling. Heero was not impressed.

"Hold up. What makes you so sure that they are still where you left them, Preventer?" Middi asked, addressing Heero as she did so, before glancing at the quietly blinking red light on her Videophone.

"There is a chance that they have relocated, but the longer that we wait the more likely that they will have moved on already." Heero replied.

"Well then, I guess I do have a valid reason why a cheaply made trace-blocker is calling my line." Middi said as she allowed the call to come through. While the screen showed nothing, and the call was a digitally altered tape recording, they were still able to trace the call back to its original location. "Gentlemen, we as a rescue mission on our hands. Let's take care of it." Middi said as they rushed out of her office with Preventer Data not far behind, sending out orders as they went.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Racimous asked as he paced back and forth in front of the twenty, second-best, Preventers that he had assembled for the mission two hours later. Heero stood off to the far side of the room, growling under his breath as he debated whether or not he should take a teaser pistol to Racimous' backside for not having bothered to spare a second glance at the gimped, green-eyed, Jessie McCall.

"SIR, YES SIR!" came the returned, nearly deafening, reply from the all too enthusiastic young men.

Heero snorted, _'Newbies. Go figure.'_

"You got a problem, kid?" Racimous questioned as he turned his attention to the scrawny boy in one corner of the room. With narrow, neon green, eyes and messy, spiked, brown hair with the ends of it dyed, Racimous passed one look at him and deemed the kid a punk-assed brat. Racimous tilted his head back and forth, cracking his neck as if to intimidate the boy, as he waited for the wannabe-war-child to reply. He wasn't going to be disappointed.

"Preventer Smoke, not 'Kid'. I'm going in with them."

*****

"Everything is going according to plan," Stated her second in commend as he marched at a slowed pace, attempting to match her shorter stride as they walked down to the holding-cell level.

"Very good. And Zero-one?" Maria questioned as she made eye contact with the masked man. His icy, crystal-like, blue eyes were barely visible from behind the ski mask that adorned his face.

"Whereabouts are still unknown."

"Keep working on it. We need him to complete our ultimate goal," Maria commanded her voice chilling him to the bone with it's controlled fury. Silently, he made a note to see if he could get faster results from the technology division via smashing in their lead-man's face a bit.

"WELL, look at we have here! If it isn't the great and all-mighty queen of the Titans. Come to check on your prisoners, hum?" Preventer Two commented loudly from one of the many cells that divided up the hostages. Maria narrowed her eyes; the statement sounded more like a warning to his fellow men then the usual rude jabbering that normally came from the sorely beaten pilot.

"Mind your tongue, least you lose it. Remember, Duo Maxwell, I am not beyond having you killed sooner rather than later. I just need to keep at least one of you alive to act as bait, after all," Maria threatened. Duo's face took on a dark and menacing glow as he narrowed his eyes in turn and twisted his lips up unto what could be called a devilish sneer.

"You can't kill death," He growled softly so that only she could hear as they continued to walk past. Maria spun to regard him once again but he had already washed the expression away and returned his face back to his usual, arrogantly smug, grin. Maria eyed him but for a moment more before forcing the sinking feeling from out of her stomach and continuing on down the hall. Duo smiled; he knew that he had shaken her resolve. It was only a matter of time now before she made a mistake. 

"That went well," Wufei smirked from his corner of what they had all dubbed "the cage", as he stood up from his crossed-legged position, he arched his back and made Duo hiss as nearly every vertebrae cracked back into place.

"Ugh… Did you HAVE to do that? I don't know when they actually plan on feeding us and I want to make what I had for breakfast last as long as possible, thank you vary much!" Duo said as he fought the urge to not throw-up. _'Figures, the only thing that makes me queasy, is the sound of snapping bones,' _Duo thought as he willed himself to sit down on the dusty floor.

"Duo, that's gross!" Hilde exclaimed in reply to his comment.

"Heh, don't blame me, blame the contortionist in the corner!"

"Keep it down; I'm trying see if I can hear anything that they are saying," Zechs muttered as he placed a firm grip over Duo's mouth in order to silence the braided man as he pressed himself as far into the front corner of the cell as he could manage without causing any suspicion.

*****

The back bay door to the plane was signaled to open as Jessie McCall cracked his neon green eyes open and slowly lifted his head and leered at the smug Racimous Eleri, who seemed to think that the smaller man had fallen asleep unintentionally. Heero inwardly rolled his eyes; that was mistake number three that the tenacious fool had made since they had first met. _'Duo would say it best; it is going to be one of THOSE missions,'_ Heero thought as he stood up, stretching to his full height as he did so, not willing to feel stunted by the older man and his seven-feet and ten-inches of legs and torso.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty!" Racimous taunted as the rest of his men howled with laughter in the background.

"How soon until we reach the drop-site?" Heero asked loudly over the whooshing sound of the air as it blew past the open bay door and sent loose papers and small equipment flying.

"T-minus twenty minutes!" Preventer Data shouted back before Racimous could reply.

"Well, there is your answer. Now then, Preventer Smoke, why don't you be a good little boy and get suited up?" Racimous joked, thinking, _'If this kid thinks that he's getting off with being up here, doing a desk job, then he's got another thing coming.' _

Racimous' smirk seemed to say it all as Heero read the man's expression before he strapped on the nearest parachute, "Roger that," he said effectively countering the verbal attack and dropping Racimous into what could only be called stunned silence as Heero began organizing the troops before Racimous finally recovered and said, with a new-found respect for the younger man, "You take lead for the first group, Preventer Smoke."

"Right. Squad one! Move out!" Heero replied with a nod before pushing himself out the hatch with ten others not far behind him. Heero reached over to his shoulder and flicked on the radio that was secured there.

__

"Come in, Squadron leader one! Are you there? Over," Preventer Data's voice said as the machine crackled to life.

"Leader one, here. What is it? Over," Heero replied as he pulled the ripcord and opened the pack that was strapped onto his backside and around his thighs. Amusingly, he noted, how some of the men might be walking oddly later due to the fact that the harness was dangerously close to the crotch region of their pants.

__

"You're orders are to infiltrate the enemy base and get those hostages out. Over."

"Roger that. Tell Racimous to have his men act as decoys. Over."

__

"Will do, Preventer Smoke. Air base out."

Heero glanced up at his men around his parachute. "You heard her. Get ready, we're going in!"

*****

Dorothy looked up dully as bits of dirt. Dust and mortar between the hard stone blocks that made up the walls of the cell that she was held in along with some of the others crumbled and fell to the floor. "Looks like someone has finally come for us." She commented dryly.

"Nobody has arrived yet and until they do, I'm still going to hold to the belief that we're on our own. Don't get your hopes up." Milliardo stated as he slumped back down to the floor of the cell.

"So, what are we waiting for? Why haven't we tried to escape yet?" Dorothy scowled; it always annoyed her that, when faced with a challenge, even the Preventers were capable of chickening out.

"Now isn't the right time for that, Dorothy. Please, try to understand that we are more than aware of our situation and are doing everything within our power to be ready when we CAN make our move." Quatre said as he rubbed the space between her shoulder blades reassuringly. Dorothy sighed in defeat.

"Where is that blasted, Yuy, anyway? He should have been here to rescue us by now," She pondered softly to herself as she allowed Quatre's gentle massage sooth away the ache that she had acquired when she had been pushed to roughly into the cell, in which they now sat. Carefully, she lifted her eyes to cast them about the small room; Duo, Hilde, Wufei, Zechs, Quatre, and her self were held in the room. Which meant that Une, Relena, Noin, Trowa, Sally, and Catherine along with many of the other guests were either tucked away into one other cell, or scattered about the rest of the base. _'Lovely,'_ Dorothy thought as another tremor shook the compound followed by Wufei slamming his fists on his thighs, swearing colorfully. "Problem, Chang?" Dorothy questioned.

"Bastards… How long do they intend to keep us in here? Eh? How long?" Wufei demanded.

"Say what? Don't tell me that you're claustrophobic!" Duo questioned jokingly, earning an icy glare from the Chinese Mobile Suit pilot and no verbal reply.

"Stop it Duo, this is no time to be the antagonist among our group. If you two have a bone to pick with each other save it until after we've made our escape," Zechs chided as he quickly placed himself between Duo and Wufei in an attempt to keep them from throwing actual punches at one another.

"Zechs is right, you guys, we can't afford to be fighting with each other right now," Quatre said, acting as the voice to reason like he had so many times before. "It's far too risky at the moment for that."

"Hold on a minute. Can you be so sure about that, Quatre?" Dorothy asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Quatre turned and looked at her curiously, "What do you mean?"

*****

BLAM! VOOSH. Heero smirked as he dropped the, now useless, detonator to the floor with a satisfying "clank" as the smoke clear out of the area that had been designated as: _Cell-block 08_ in bold gray letters on the wall. With a signal to his men, they advanced into the hall, using C-4 to open cells with people inside as they found them and providing the captive Preventers with weapons and directions out of the base with the orders: "If you aren't out by the time we are, we're blowing up the base with you still in it." Heero considered that to be the best motivation to get anyone moving. Odin would have been proud.

"Cell ten in section eight, all clear!" "Cell eleven, all clear." Heero's men called as they found empty cells.

"That's the last of them, sir. What is our next move Commander?" asked Preventer Domino, Heero's second-in-command for the mission.

"Regroup and head for Block-nine," Heero ordered as his men rushed to follow his commands. _'Puppets,'_ Heero thought, _'Like simple minded puppets.' _While one's ability to follow orders is key in military combat situations, Heero knew from first hand experience that, at some point, one has to toss out the rule-book and the "pecking-order" and follow your own instincts to survive. These men would be dead by the end of the month, Heero was sure of it. 

"Sir, are you alright?" Private Michel Conway questioned when he noticed that the commander was standing stock still, as if lost in a daze. Conway waved his hand in front of his higher-ranking officer's face. Preventer Smoke didn't respond. "Sir? You're orders, sir?"

Heero blinked and shook his head, "I'm fine," He said with a grunt. Silently, he puzzled over the strange fuzzy-ness that kept fading in and out of his right eye which, at some points, almost changed into a whole new picture entirely.

"Sir?"

"We proceed to block-09."

"Sir, yes sir!"

*****

"Open the door," Maria ordered her second in command icily, "and be snappy about it."

He gave the tart reply of, "Yes ma'am," before walking over to the control panel next to the door and entering the code to unlock it. Sally had barely enough time to tuck her hairpin out of sight before the door slid open with a sharp "hiss".

"So, have you come to kill us?" Relena asked as she stood up slowly. Her hand was placed lightly on the wall next to her for balance. Maria smirked as she took it as a sign of weakness.

"Why, where ever have made you think that?" Maria questioned, coyly as she pulled her run from out underneath her robes.

Une jumped to her feet and attempted to push Relena out of the way of the woman's deadly aim, "RELENA GET--!"

BANG!

"I've been wanting to do that for almost a month now…" Maria's ex-second in command said as he lowered his own pistol as he watched Maria's blood ooze slowly out of her scalp before removing his mask. Relena gasped, "It's you! But you were dead!"

"Well done, Preventer Camouflage," Une said, sighing with relief, "You nearly had me worried for a moment there."

"I was the best for the job." Preventer Camouflage, as known as: Joshua Muller replied as he helped them out of the cell. Relena refused to be assisted even after she as nearly tripped over to corpse.

"Anne, what is this all about? I sure that I'm missing something." Sally questioned as she helped assist Lucrezia in getting the other cells open. Joshua didn't have the codes for all of them.  


"Mr. Muller has been working for us for years now as an undercover bodyguard for Relena, so undercover that she was unaware of it herself, but when we got word of the titans' plans, we had Joshua arrange for a stand-in while he took on the task of slipping into Maria's ranks," Une explained.

"Unfortunately, I was a poor judge of character when I chose Nicholas Castro to take my place. I personally saw that he was dead after all that he put you through, Relena. I'm only sorry that I didn't see it until it was too late," Joshua apologized.

"So, that man who I thought was you, was really nothing more than…" Relena trailed off.

Josh sighed as he lowered his head, "Correct."

"But what about Darren?" Quatre asked as he stepped out of his cell with the others not far behind him.

"Who do you think managed to get him into Maria's network?" quipped a cheery voice as a tall and thin young man stepped through the doorway at the other end of the cellblock.  


"Darren!" Quatre shouted as he ran up to his friend and shook his hand. "I can't believe that it's actually you. I was so sure that you were really dead; I don't know why I even doubted that you could have survived. How are your sister and Wong, are they okay?"

Darren chuckled, "They're both fine, though Race must be going stir-crazy by now. I say that we get out of here, after we phone-in and let Yuy know that he can call off his dogs. Sissy and Wong have a shuttle ready and waiting for us in bay three."

"Yuy's dogs? Heero? He's HERE?" Relena questioned, her voice panicked.

"Yeah as a matter of fact he was last seen--" Darren's reply was drowned out by the sound of the door at the end of the cellblock being blown open and Heero, followed by the rest of his team, came charging in.

"HEERO!" Relena screamed as she launched herself into his arms and knocked him flat on his back in surprise. Needless to say, he wasn't expecting her to be free from her cell and waiting for him.

"--Not two cell blocks away from us…" Darren mumbled the last of his sentence.

"Good. That'll save us some time. Let's get out of here." Joshua ordered as he helped both Heero and Relena up before leading the way to the docking bay.

"Heero, are you okay?" Relena whispered two hours later, in the shuttle back to Cinq.

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm fine," she smiled.

*****

Two weeks later they news was abuzz with this headline: _VFM hits it off with top Preventer Pilot: Hiroshima Mayes, the Japanese one-week wonder was one in one of the fighters that was responsible for Miss Relena's rescue from the Titans' foul clutches. Mrs. Relena Mayes and her Husband Hiro plan on honeymooning in the Swiss Alps. May they have a happy and wonderful marriage for years to come._

****

The end

Attention all readers! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to, finally, finish Never, Ever, After, but, believe me, life happened and I haven't had time to until now. Thank you all for you're wonderful reviews (and flames) and I plan on starting on the next fic as soon as you all are done VOTING for it! 

Happy reviewing/voting and thank you everyone!

~Prinder

1. I know this has already been done, but I think the person that was originally writing it stopped, and besides that, I plan to put a few new twists to if then she did, I'm thinking about going a Gundam wing/Escaflowne fic; it would have five parts to the full series, the first part would be totally Escaflowne (mostly about how Hitomi gets back to Gaea and about her and Van's son, Aden Folken de Kenzaki-Fanel, long name, I know, and how he got separated from them) "Aden! Aden, where are you?" "I'm over here mummy!". 

The second part would be Totally Gundam Wing (this part would be about how Heero discovers the hidden planet, a secret of Odin Lowe, Something that Dr.J left for him and eventually he gets taken to Gaea) "What's this? Cards…? That's what he left in his will for me?". 

The third would be about Heero wandering around on Gaea trying to figure some things out and ending up meeting Van and Hitomi and the things that happen because of it "Oh good! You're awake! I was starting to worry about you." "Relena?" "Nope! You're a good guesser though; my name is Celena". 

The fourth part is about Relena and the other G-guys trying to find him and somehow stumbling on the answers, and the way to Gaea themselves "How can you just stand there and not be worried about him? HOW? Heero could be lost laying in some cold damp street somewhere dying for all we know and you are all just standing there like it's no big deal!". 

The last is the conclusion "Oh my god! HEERO!" she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a great bid hug, "I was afraid that I would never see you again! I missed you so much…". {Nine votes here}

2. This one is completely original on my part and is an AU unlike any other, that I know of: Heero, a Bounty-hunter, gets lost in a forest while trying to track down the Infamous thief, Duo Maxwell, and finds himself having to camp inside of a cave with a peculiar stream water flowing within it, after testing it and finding it "safe" to drink, Heero has his fill of it, but, unknown to him, quenching his thirst comes at a high price. He wakes up the next morning in the body of a wolf and finds out that he can only be human if there is no sun OR moon out! And now he has either find a cure, learn how to survive as a being of the forests, or else. "Astor! Shepherd! …I hate it when they do this… You rotten dogs! Get back here!" "Well, well, look at what we have here boys… a pretty little lady lost and all alone. What do you say missy? Want old Joey and his friends to show you home?" the man snickered. "No! Let go of me! Somebody! Help, HELP!" {Seventeen votes here}

3. This one is very common, but I'm willing to try my hand at it: Heero loves Duo, but he also loves Relena; and the feelings are mutual from both of them. What is a guy to do? This would be my first attempt at a yoai fic if I decide to do it. "The thing is, should I even try to have something more then just friendship with either of them? I don't want one of them to think that they lost me to the other…so, what do I do?" {Four votes here}

4. Locked away in a mental institution isn't what she had envisioned what would have happened to Him, him being Heero Yuy, but now, after Relena as seen him there with her own eyes, can she really say that he doesn't belong there? "Damn it, Relena, listen to me! I'm not-- let go of me-- I'm not crazy I tell you, I'm not!" {Ten for this one}

5. Looking down at the Scrap-yard, she couldn't help but feel more then just a touch of jealousy towards the black-haired blue-eyed ex-oz soldier, Hilde, but also knowing that she wasn't what he needed in his life; she kept her heart out of it, and started working on putting both the Deathscythe pilot and the girl together; even if it killed her. This would be my first Duo-and-Hilde fic. "Ugh! How hard could it possibly be for this MORON to pull his head out of his ASS long enough to see that this chick digs him? I can't believe this!" {Three votes here}

6. What if Triton Bloom was alive, and he wasn't Trowa? What would No-name do, and think, if he met Cathy's real brother? Would he feel replaced and out-matched compared to the real thing? A Non-romance fic, this is just about family. "You want me to share a room with him?" "Yes, Trowa, I want you guys to share a room. Don't look at me like that! It won't be so bad!" two days later: "HELP! CATHY! Trowa's lost it! I think he's gonna kill me! HELP!" {Nine votes for this one already}

7. Relena's guards love to work over-time, they never complain, they think they get paid too much for what little they claim to do, they're selfless, gentle, sweet, kind, caring, lovable...Are. You. Nuts? Felina, Jasmine, JinChi, Keanu, and Fiora are anything BUT that and now that the "great and all mighty non-perfect Heero Yuy" is around, they find themselves fighting to keep the jobs that they hate, all while trying to hook the lovebirds up! "Remind me again how it was that we got sweet-talked into this mess?" "If I do recall, it was you who suggested this outlandish idea, Fiora Eleri." "…Thanks for reminding me, why oh why did I want to do this?" "Because you're a hopeless romantic at heart?" "It's either that or she's crazy…" they all looked at each other for a moment before saying, "Crazy." {Nineteen votes for this one}

8. Milliardo hated action figures; they reminded him too much of his little sister's dolls, so, why he got the twelve-inch-tall Zero-One Gundam Pilot: Heero Yuy, "G.I. Joe-like" action-figure for his tenth birthday, he never knew. His sister, who had to stay at home because of the chickenpox, was enthralled when he offered to let her play with "it" whenever she wanted to. But something very strange happens when, suddenly, nine years latter, he comes to life! "Relena! We're home darling!" "Relena… are you feeling better?" "Not really, was your party fun?" "It was okay, here, you can play with this when you're lonely while I'm away at school, okay?" "Really? Your brand new toy? Thank you Milliardo!" {Twenty-two votes for this one}

9. What if: Western (the sequel to What if: Myth) what happens when a "city slicker" schemes to buy out a whole town that stands on the world's biggest oil-well in history? The Keepers of Mystic return to the lands of the living again, of course! But, how are they going to be able to reunite when they can't even remember whom they were? And, most importantly, who is who in the times of sharpshooters, outlaws, and "red-skins"? "I don't know who you are and, quite frankly, I just don't care. But, if you think that you're gonna get away without buying a ticket to ride this here train, you got another thing comin'!" {Seven votes here}

10. It's been done a million times before, but never in a way like this: Gundam Wing Outtakes, these outtakes, unlike most others out there, are geared more toward the funny-serious style that I am known for. "BRIAN! Stop making goggle eyes!" in this 'series' I will be using the names of the American voice actors and be telling of their exploits all through the series as if they really were the Gundam Pilots and all of the other characters. "Piffff! Hahahaha! I'm sorry Cole, I couldn't help it!" My first attempt at pure humor. {Seven Votes for this}

11. What if Relena never met Heero on that beach? What if she never found out that he was a Gundam Pilot? I'll be going back through the series and rewriting it to find out. What will the outcome be? Was meeting Heero Yuy a major part of her becoming the woman she is today? I hope to try and find out. "What kind of person is he?" {Three votes here}

12. The Shreens are beings from a distant plant outside of the earth's solar system who are a race of all women who survive by attacking other inhabited planets and stealing all of their men for the use of breeding and for slaves. And now, with Heero presumed dead, it's up to Relena to stop them before it's too late. "Don't you like my pet, Queen Relena? He has the most beautiful eyes. Why don't you come closer, my pet, so that she can see you better hum…?" Shiva said as the large figure that sat by her chair moved into the light. Relena gasped, "Heero!". My first attempt at writing lemons but since FanFiction.net doesn't allow those anymore, I'll post the lemon parts to this fic (which aren't all THAT important to the plot) on my website (which is listed in my FF.net profile). {Nine votes for this one}

13. "In other news today: Relena Darlian was shot today at the peace-talks on L4, she was dead on the scene. Relena left behind her brother and sister-in-law and their two-year-old son, Zachary. Relena, if you can hear us up there, we will miss you…. And now for--" Heero turned off the TV and looked over at the cat that lay curled up on the sofa next to him; it was nursing it's single, lonely, kitten. "They didn't mention you, Indigo." the black cat ignored him, but her yellow and orange-striped kitten stopped her suckling to look up at him and mew before going back to her mother's teat. 'Something is very strange about that kitten…' Heero thought. Too bad that he didn't know how right he really was… 'Well that explains a lot.' the kitten thought as she continued to nurse, 'I died that day and then… I was, I was reborn then as, as Indigo's kitten… Poor Heero, I wish I could tell him…' {Nine votes here}

14. A request was made that I try to combine Story idea number Six and Seven together. I want to know if anyone else likes this idea. {Six votes here}

15. An epilogue for What if:Myth {Five votes here}

Current Standings:

In first place: #8 with 22 votes.

Second place: #7 with 19 votes.

Third place: #2 with 17 votes.

Fourth place: #4 with 10 votes.

Fifth place: #1, #6, #12, #13 with 9 votes.

Sixth Place: #10, #9 with 7 votes.

Seventh Place: #14 with 6 votes.

Eighth Place: #15 with 5 votes.

Ninth Place: #3 with 4 votes.

Tenth Place: #5, #11 with 3 votes.


End file.
